Three Reasons Summer BBQs May Lead To More DUI Citations

As the calendar is ready to turn to May, more and more backyard BBQs will take place.  It’s a fun time of year to gather with friends, have good food and a few drinks.  It is also a time of the year when drinking may be on the rise and if you’re not careful it is a time when you may find yourself in need of a New Haven DUI attorney.

It is always important to reiterate that if you are drinking you should pick an alternative method to get home rather than relying on your ability to only drink a little and then get home safely.  In fact, by designating a driver or planning on using a ride share service to get you to and from a party you are setting yourself up for safe travels and also a much more enjoyable time wherever you are headed because you don’t have to worry about transportation.  You can drink and have a good time without any concern of getting home safely.

Summer BBQs offer a good opportunity to gather with friends that you might not otherwise have during the cooler winter and spring months and therefore they can be fun for everyone involved.  However, if they end in being pulled over for driving while under the influence (DUI) or worse and accident that results in some level of injury, they can be the last place you were happy to go.

Why are visitors to summer bbqs more susceptible to getting a DUI citation then other events?

Reason #1: When you’re close to home you may not take the same precautions if you have to travel a long distance to get to a party.  Often a summer BBQ may be held in your neighbor’s backyard or down the street at a park that is relatively close to your home.  Traveling to and from the destination may be a short drive and you might try to justify in your head that even though you’ve been drinking you aren’t that far from home so you can make it no problem.  DON’T DO THIS.  Accidents and DUI citations often happen closest to home, it is not worth the risk.

Reason #2: Good times don’t always lead to good decisions.  When you are relaxing at a backyard BBQ you may be in a situation where you will let you guard down.  You’re comfortable and enjoying yourself and you may lose track of how many drinks you’ve had and how long you’ve been drinking.  This can become especially dangerous when you’re sitting in the sun and you’re not realizing just how intoxicated you are becoming.  When you go to stand up from your seat you may discover the impact of the alcohol you’ve been drinking all day is greater then you would have thought.  By that point, you’ve already decided to drive home and trouble may arise.

Reason #3: It’s just a few seltzers.  Hard seltzers and “mixed drinks in a can” are all the rage these days and while they are a great way to sip a cocktail they can also leave your guard down a little bit.  They are light and don’t give you the same feeling of fullness that drinking a heavier beer might give you.  If you are drinking seltzer like drinks you are likely going to drink a few more then you expected to and getting behind the wheel after that could lead to a terrible result.  These drinks still contain high levels of alcohol and can cause you just as much trouble as drinking any other kind of alcoholic beverage.  Pace yourself when drinking seltzers or any kind of canned cocktail drink so you don’t get lulled into a false sense of safety and security.

When you’re with a large group of friends, spending quality time in someone’s backyard or a neighborhood park it can be so tempting to have just one more drink, but that one more drink may be the difference between you getting home safely and without incident and you getting home after being cited for a New Haven DUI or worse getting into an accident that cause harm to you or someone else who is sharing the road with you that day.

Contact our office if you get pulled over and charged with a DUI.  Our attorneys have experience with all types of situations and can work with you on yours to protect your long-term interests.

This summer, please remember to drink responsibly.