Reader’s Question:

Hi, I just moved here in East Orange, New Jersey and I heard that there are a lot of cases of DWI crimes in this state. What are the risks of getting arrested for DWI in the state of New Jersey?

Mayette

East Orange, NJ

There are a lot of risks of getting arrested for DWI in the state of New Jersey. Intoxication could either be from alcohol or from other substances and it could even include certain prescription drugs. It doesn’t matter if a person feels that he could hold his liquor, if he is caught driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08% or more, he would be in serious trouble. New Jersey DWI laws could be very specific, and police officers have vast powers in implementing them.

In East Orange, New Jersey, or anywhere in New Jersey for that matter, a driver could be arrested for DWI even without administering the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. But in such cases, the state must prove that there was sufficient reason to take the person into custody. An officer could even arrest a driver for DWI who has an open liquor bottle in his vehicle, parked or otherwise. The probable cause here, which again the state must prove, would be the intent drive after consuming the intoxicant. A driver who realizes that he has consumed too much alcohol and decides to sleep it off in his vehicle could also be at risk of being arrested for DWI. In cases such as these, the problem would arise if the driver wakes up, he might think that he is sober and decide to drive, but the BAC could still be adverse.

Tags: blood alcohol content, DWI, DWI arrest, DWI lawyer, field sobriety tests