A lot of drinking goes on around the winter holidays. There are family dinners, office parties, get-togethers with friends and fancy parties where everyone is dressed to the nines in their holiday finest.
Police are aware, too. They know that while some people arrange for a sober ride home, others will climb behind the wheel while intoxicated and try to make it home.
How Texas regards sobriety checkpoints
The way that Texas lawmakers interpret the United States Constitution, sobriety checkpoints are illegal. But don’t think that means that those who drink and drive won’t face the consequences of a DWI arrest.
Saturation patrols, where the authorities flood the streets with additional officers to arrest impaired drivers, are legal here in Texas. In fact, the state typically applies for and receives special grants to pay the salaries of the officers arresting allegedly intoxicated drivers.
What’s a Texas driver to do?
Obviously, don’t drink and drive. But things happen that can make normally law-abiding citizens make bad decisions. Keep in mind that when it comes to alcohol, judgment is one of the first things to go. You can convince yourself that you didn’t actually drink all that much, that you alternated with water and drank after eating.
While monitoring your alcohol intake, alternating an alcoholic drink with a nonalcoholic one and drinking on a full stomach are good ways to help you stay sober, there are no magical solutions to avoid a DWI.
If you get arrested
The most important thing to keep in mind is to exert your constitutional right against self-incrimination. Don’t answer questions from the police until you have had the opportunity to seek defense guidance.
