San Diego DUI Attorney Blog

According to an August 4 report in the Los Angeles Times, the California Highway Patrol’s Oceanside Division has won a wealth of resources to combat San Diego DUI on State Route 76. Police statistics show that a 38 mile stretch of Route 76 near the casinos has proven particularly dangerous over the past three years -- it's witnessed over 300 injuries and 13 deaths related to driving under the influence in San Diego.

The State Office of Highway Safety earmarked the money (more than $260,000) to establish additional sobriety checkpoints as well as patrols for DUI. These measures should go into effect starting in September and will last through March 2011.

Obviously, police efforts to rid San Diego highways of drivers who flagrantly violate DUI and DWI laws can and do save lives. Additional patrols and checkpoints might act as a deterrent. But it’s also key to look “outside the box” at other factors that can influence driver behavior. For instance, the proximity of the freeway to the casinos seems to have a provocative effect.

Perhaps if the casinos implemented better policies to deter drunken visitors from driving, the result could be a win-win-win. The casinos could win because they wouldn’t have to deal with bad press relating to DUI crashes nearby. Law enforcement officials would win because they could reduce San Diego DUI arrests along this deadly stretch of road. And drivers would win because fewer people would drive under the influence to begin with. The point is that, to create effective policy to staunch southern California DUI events, a less reactive and myopic approach may be called for.

If you or a family member has been charged with an Oceanside DUI, you'll likely need sound legal representation. Find out more about the services of Attorney Stephen R. Brodsky. Since 1988, Attorney Brodsky and his associates have battled hard on behalf of CA defendants, and they’ve delivered results time and again. Call 1-800-GOOD-ADVICE or email Attorney Brodsky through his website, WWW.CRIMINALATTORNEYSANDIEGO.COM.com, for a free, completely confidential consultation.

A San Diego DUI accident took the life of a 34 year-old Santee man named Patrick Elerding Tuesday morning, August 18, per a story from the San Diego Union Tribune. According to investigators from the Medical Examiner's office and the California Highway Patrol, the accident took place in the early morning hours. Elerding had been riding in the passenger seat of a 1990 Volvo driven by another San Diego man named Nico Faulk, 37. While heading west on El Monte Road, Mr. Faulk apparently lost control of the station wagon. He then corrected too much and careered over the yellow median dividers into an oak tree. An off duty police officer and paramedics quickly arrived at the scene, but they were too late to save Mr. Elerding, who was pronounced dead. Mr. Faulk suffered injuries to his back.

Mr. Faulk faces charges of felony DUI in San Diego as well as vehicular manslaughter. If convicted, he could face many years in jail and additionally be compelled to pay fines and court costs, attend alcohol school, undergo probation, have his driver’s license suspended.

The legal BAC limit for a San Diego DUI is 0.08%. But even if your BAC level is below that, you can still be convicted of a felony DUI in Southern California depending on the circumstances of your accident, such as the degree of your negligence, and whether or not you had also consumed illegal narcotics. Drivers under the age of 21 face an even stricter standard, since they cannot legally consume alcohol in the first place.

Defending against charges of San Diego felony DUI or vehicular manslaughter can be challenging, emotionally taxing, and isolating. Even close friends and family members who otherwise might be supportive can prejudge you and give you even less of the benefit of the doubt than the legal system offers you. In this hard time, you need compassionate assistance from a qualified, battle proven San Diego felony DUI attorney. Attorney Stephen R. Brodsky can fight on your behalf. For nearly two decades, Attorney Brodsky has defended literally hundreds of individuals accused of violating the state law. He also served for a time as a prosecutor for the US Government as a Navy Judge Advocate, so he brings to bear an additional perspective that can help you.

To learn more about how Mr. Brodsky can help defend you from the intimidating charges, connect with him now at WWW.CRIMINALATTORNEYSANDIEGO.COM, or call 1-800-GOOD-ADVICE for immediate assistance. Consultations are free, and hablamos Español.

An August 8 article in the San Diego News Examiner reports that the FBI, the California Highway Patrol, and the US Department of Transportation just released statistics that show that he number of female DUI offenders seems to be on the rise. While arrests for DUI in southern California overall have declined over the past decade, the trend lines for women DUI in San Diego have gone the other way.

Per the CHP, women between the ages of 18 and 24 caused 110 injury DUI crashes -- up from 49 a decade ago. Younger female drivers -- under 20 years old -- caused 100 fatal or injury DUI accidents. According to the FBI, in 2007, women accounted for nearly one out of every five DUI arrests -- that’s up significantly from the 1990s, when women accounted for less than 14% of all DUIs.

The San Diego News Examiner article also reported that a report put together by the Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation found that alcohol related accidents and secondary costs from those accidents leach $130 billion from the US economy annually.

There is a silver lining, however. The US Department of Transportation found that fatalities stemming from DUI accidents have steadily declined this decade. They reached their lowest number -- 11,773 -- in 2008. Early statistics from 2009 confirm this downward movement. And while female San Diego DUI incidents seem to be on the rise, male DUI cases seem to be on the wane.

If you're a woman who’s recently been arrested for driving under the influence in San Diego County, a veteran attorney can strategize an appropriate defense for you. Call Attorney Stephen R. Brodsky -- one of the city’s most prestigious, credentialed, and results-proven DUI lawyers -- at 1-800-GOOD-ADVICE for a free and immediate consultation. Or explore Attorney Brodsky’s website, WWW.CRIMINALATTORNEYSANDIEGO.COM, to learn more about his approach and his verdicts, and to take advantage of many unique informational resources on DUI and San Diego Law.