Drink, drive, go to jail! That is the current mantra of The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA). The old ad campaign had the number .08 with a circle and a red slash. Some of us are old enough to remember the days when the standard Maine Driver’s License had a chart on the back with a “green” zone and a “red” zone purporting to advise us about how much was too much and how much was just enough to drink and be okay to drive. That chart was also prominently displayed in poster form on the walls of Maine’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles registries.
Although the message has changed, the law has not. It is not against the law to drink and drive in our state. It is against the law to drive while under the influence of alcohol (and/or drugs). A person is legally under the influence if his breath-alcohol concentration is 0.08 per cent or higher OR his mental or physical faculties or impaired to the slightest degree. If you do chose to drink and drive, you should follow the advice given in many other ads: Always drink responsibly. Use good judgment. Set a limit and stick to it.
Police will be cracking down with extra patrols and roadblocks during this holiday season. If you have been charged with OUI or any crime, call us for a free consultation at 207-879-4000.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide general, not specific, information about Maine law. The publication of this article does not constitute an attorney-client relationship between the author(s) and the reader(s).
