Whether your Irish heritage obliges you to celebrate and pay homage to St. Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, or whether you are celebrating just because it’s a great time to party, either way, you’re going to have to be careful. St. Patrick’s Day may come with a lot of pints of green beer and micro-brewed Irish ale, but the New Hampshire laws regarding drunk driving aren’t taking the night off – and if you take things a little too far, you may end your celebratory night by calling a DWI attorney.
Since calling a DUI attorney doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, here are five tips to avoid a DUI on St. Patrick’s Day in New Hampshire.
Designate a Driver – Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Unfortunately, a lot of people fail to designate one in advance on St. Patricks Day, leaving Bob thinking it was Bill who was going to skip the drinks, and vice versa. For such a festive holiday, you can expect in this circumstance that both Bill and Bob end up too drunk to drive, and whoever is driving is likely to end up with a DUI.
Set Limits – Do you know how much alcohol you can consume before being over the legal limit? Most people think they do, but their "eyeball" measurement of how much liquid is actually in a 4oz. glass of wine or what an ounce of alcohol really looks like are often skewed. In addition, some beers have more alcohol content than others. Know what you're drinking, and what an actual portion looks like in advance, or you might just be over the limit without knowing it.
Hire a Driver – While it may cost a little extra, it may save you significantly in the long run. Drunk driving and needing a DUI attorney might be the least of your problems if you injure someone. In fact, you may end up needing a criminal lawyer. Your freedom is priceless, so don’t think it can’t happen to you, because anyone who is driving under the influence has the possibility of injuring or killing someone when they get behind the wheel.
Get a Hotel Room – If you know you’re going to be over-indulging, plan ahead and get a hotel room nearby to where you’re going to be celebrating. Depending on what you’re doing, you can either take a cab to the event, stay on-site and celebrate with the other hotel guests at the hotel's planned festivities, or perhaps take advantage of any shuttle service they may offer. Call around to local hotels and ask what services and shuttles they will be offering that night. You may be surprised.
Plan Ahead – Perhaps you don’t think you will be participating in any drunk driving, but if you accidentally over-indulged, would you know who to call? It may sound counter-productive to plan ahead for potential problems; however, having the number of a reputable DUI lawyer handy may make a difference. Being picked up for a DUI and being convicted of one are two different things, and perhaps even consulting with a DWI attorney is a good idea, so you know what to do if it ever happens.
There isn’t anyone who ever gets into their car thinking they’ll be pulled over and arrested for driving while intoxicated. Even less so, those who critically injure or kill others in the process never plan that out either. If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of needing a DUI attorney or criminal attorney, we can help. But, you can save yourself the trouble and just don’t drive drunk in the first place.
By Richard Monteith
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