Drunk driving is an equal opportunity offense here in the Garden State. So long as you own a car, or have the opportunity to drive one regardless of whether it is your own vehicle, an individual has one of the major elements of a drunken driving arrest. The other part would be the actual imbibing of an alcoholic beverage (or in the case of a drug DUI, taking of prescription medication or ingesting an illegal controlled dangerous substance (CDS), such as meth, weed or coke).
As New Jersey drunk driving defense attorneys, I and my staff of experienced civil and criminal defense lawyers understand the impact that a DWI or DUI conviction can have on a person. It goes without saying that more than one career, personal relationship or otherwise unblemished reputation has been ruined by a single charge of driving under the influence of alcohol of doctor-prescribed medicine, much less an actual conviction. Aside from steep monetary fines, penalties and surcharges, loss of driving privileges and occasionally jail time can be attached to a conviction for driving while intoxicated.
Although most typical motorists are not in the public eye, those individuals who are have a much higher profile and can suffer even more from the public humiliation of being arrested for a DWI incident. Whether convicted or not, these people may feel their reputations tarnished and public persona diminished to some degree. Whatever the cause of a traffic stop, if a person has been drinking the police may decide to arrest him or her, no matter how well known or loved by the public.
