July Has More Drunk Driving Crashes Than Any Other Month

July is a month where the summer heat can often feel oppressive. Enjoying a cold beer, a glass of chilled wine or a fresh cocktail with refrigerated juice can be a great way to cool off from the summer heat. Alcoholic drinks are also a mainstay at summer get-togethers like barbecues.

Unfortunately, the temptation to indulge during the summer months can have negative societal consequences. Specifically, rates for drunk driving fatalities are higher in July than in any other month of the year.

More people drinking and driving doesn’t just mean that people are at greater risk for being involved in a crash. It also means that all drivers are at more risk for an encounter with the police. The month of July is a popular time for law enforcement agencies to set up sobriety checkpoints or drunk driving roadblocks. Drivers are more likely to encounter officers out specifically patrolling for drunk drivers or to wind up in a roadblock situation during times with higher drunk driving crash risks.

Those swept up in summer enforcement efforts have the right to a defense

Law enforcement officers engaged in an overzealous attempt to push back on impaired driving may be overly critical of someone’s performance on a roadside field sobriety test or even forget to properly calibrate the breath test unit they use on the job.

Mistakes like these can result in innocent people getting swept up in enforcement efforts and possibly facing drunk driving charges. An experienced attorney can review your options for mounting a defense against an impaired driving charge.