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Experience has shown that many DUI arrests result from the police stopping a car for reasons that have nothing to do with driving under the influence. For instance, many DUI arrests in Washington State result from an investigation following an officer stopping a vehicle for speeding, failing to use a signal, or similar …

Question: I am 20 years old and recently got a DUI. My license is suspended for one year. Will I be able to go to the bar when I turn 21? Answer: The first thing to consider is whether you are allowed to enter a bar at all based …

One of the relatively unknown aspects of Washington State DUI law is that the penalties for violations of certain mandatory requirements of probation will result in mandatory sentences that the judge must impose. Take the case of an individual for whom this is the first DUI conviction. Either one or two days of jail time [...]

For some people, it makes sense to enter into a deferred prosecution after getting charged with a DUI in Washington. To qualify for a deferred prosecution, chemical addiction or alcoholism must play a significant part in why you broke the law. After acknowledging this, you must commit to a significant program of chemical dependency treatment. [...]

Recent happenings (March, 2010) reveal some unusual defenses to DUI charges. First, there was the decision of the Court of Appeals in State of Washington vs. Richard Charles Tracer, No. 37812-4-II. This was a Washington State DUI/Vehicular Assault case where the Court of Appeals discussed the propriety of the legal procedure employed by the trial [...]

Recently I represented a client who was charged with DUI in the Seattle area after a detention and arrest by a local police officer. A review of the police report led me to believe that this could be a difficult case. All the “signs” police are trained to look for were in this report: Weaving, speeding, [...]

An ignition interlock license is a license that permits one to drive during a period of license suspension resulting from a DUI arrest or conviction so long as the vehicle being driven is equipped with an ignition interlock device and SR22 insurance is in place. See RCW 46.20.385. Prior law required the device …

Under Washington law DUI is defined by RCW 46.61.502, which states: (1) A person is guilty of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug if the person drives a vehicle within this state: (a) And the person has, within two hours after driving, an alcohol concentration of 0.08 …

In an unusual case arising from a Washington State DUI arrest, the Washington Supreme Court today held that a Lummi Nation tribal police officer who witnessed a DUI motorist on the reservation driving at night with high beams and drifting across the center divider could pursue the vehicle off the reservation and then detain the [...]

There is a nationwide push to train police officers as phlebotomists, i.e. blood drawers. This is because the United States Supreme Court has previously ruled that an officer with probable cause can forcibly take a suspects blood. As I write this there are pilot programs in Texas and Idaho to train officers …