DUI in Los Angeles

Published on: May 20, 2020

DUI and the Loss of Corey La Barrie

On Saturday, May 9, rising YouTube star Corie La Barrie posted a short video announcing he would be live-streaming his 25^th birthday party on Twitch the following day. “We might get a little bit drunk,” he whispered behind his hand. The video was cheekily titled, “Deleting this Video in 24 hours.”

The video was never removed. By the end of the day on Sunday, Corie La Barrie was dead—the victim of a DUI-involved vehicle accident.

As 9 News Adelaide reports, native Australian La Barrie had been partying with his roommates at their home in Los Angeles when he got into a McLaren 600LT sportscar with Ink Master reality TV contestant Daniel Silva behind the wheel. At around 9:30 p.m., Silva reportedly lost control of the car, which then plowed into a stop sign and a tree at a high rate of speed. Authorities say Silva attempted to flee the scene before being stopped by witnesses approaching the vehicle to render aid. Both Silva and La Barrie were taken to the hospital, where La Barrie was later pronounced dead. Silva reportedly suffered a broken hip.

Published on: April 24, 2019

What You Need to Know About California’s Expanded Ignition Interlock Device Program

by Michael Kraut

On January 1, 2019, California became the 33rd state to expand its ignition interlock device (IID) program. Enacted by Senate Bill 1046, the new law aims to deter repeat DUI offenses by requiring repeat offenders to install IIDs in their vehicles, as well as giving first-time offenders an alternative to having their licenses suspended.

While IID technology has been in existence for some time, it has gained rapid momentum in recent years as a preventative measure against DUI. An ignition interlock device is effectively a breathalyzer installed in the vehicle. Before starting the car, the driver must breathe into the device which quickly calculates your blood-alcohol content. If the BAC is above 0.04 percent, the car simply will not start. (The legal BAC limit in California is 0.08.) The device will also require a retest every 30 minutes while the car is on.

Since this law will likely change the way DUI is enforced throughout the state, let’s discuss the important points and takeaways of the expanded IID program. Here’s what you need to know.

Published on: August 18, 2018

What Is the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS)?

by Michael Kraut

In almost every industry and field, technology continues to disrupt old systems and open up new pathways for advancement. None more so than in the field of law enforcement, where researchers, inventors and tech geniuses are working on more advanced tools not only to enforce DUI, but also to prevent it. Perhaps the most promising of these initiatives is the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS), a federally funded research program developing a technology that will automatically prevent an intoxicated driver from operating a motor vehicle.

How the Technology Will Work

Intoxication occurs because our bodies are unable to metabolize alcohol at the rate at which we drink it. As a result, most of the alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the walls of the stomach and intestines. This blood alcohol content (BAC) can actually be measured by the amount of alcohol on our breath, and even through the membranes of our skin.

Published on: April 15, 2018

How Marijuana Can Impair Your Driving and Your Judgment

by Michael Kraut

Recreational marijuana became legal in the state of California on January 1, 2018—but “recreational use” does not include smoking it in the car. As the Mercury News points out, a new state law makes it officially illegal for drivers and passengers alike to smoke weed in vehicles—just one attempt to curb what officials fear will be an upsurge in drug-related DUI in the wake of legalized pot.

Some users might be tempted to view marijuana as a “grey area” drug when it comes to driving. After all, THC, the substance in weed that makes you high, is difficult to measure in the body, and in fact it can remain detectible in your blood stream for days after you use it, making it even more difficult to measure. However, make no mistake: Multiple studies have shown that marijuana use has a significant impact on people’s ability to drive safely, and that pot in your system increases your risk of getting into an accident. Furthermore, no matter how difficult it is to measure how much THC is in your system or when it got there, if an officer suspects you’re impaired while driving, he can arrest you based on that suspicion. In fact, as the law mentioned above states, you can be arrested for smoking it in a car even if you’re a passenger.

HOW MARIJUANA AFFECTS YOU BEHIND THE WHEEL

Published on: March 3, 2018

How Do Breathalyzers Work, and Where Is the Technology Headed?

by Michael Kraut

If you’ve ever been pulled over by a cop on suspicion of DUI, chances are you have been asked to submit to a breathalyzer test. This small device presumably (magically?) somehow measures the alcohol content in your blood by analyzing your breath, and whatever it reveals may influence the officer’s decision whether or not to arrest you.

But what, exactly, is the breathalyzer measuring? Is the reading accurate? What are your rights if an officer asks you to blow into a breathalyzer? Are these devices a truly effective deterrent against DUI? Let’s take a closer look at this technology—how it works, how it is used in real-life contexts with police, and what the future may hold as the technology develops.

How Alcohol Is Detected through Your Breath

Published on: January 5, 2018

The Science of Memory, and How It Can Affect Your Criminal Case

by Michael Kraut

If you’ve been charged with any crime—whether the charge is Los Angeles DUI, domestic abuse or something else—neither the prosecutor nor your defense attorney will rely solely on physical evidence to prove your guilt or innocence. Much of the evidence presented comes in the form of verbal testimony from witnesses—people who saw what happened, people who can attest to your whereabouts, experts called to weigh in on certain matters, etc. The problem is this: Verbal testimony is based mostly on memory, and memory can be a fleeting thing.

And the result is that, many times, when different witnesses offer conflicting testimony, it doesn’t necessarily mean one of them is intentionally lying. Sometimes it’s simply that those people remember the events differently. The jury then has the unhappy task of figuring out the truth, by listening to these alternative versions.

The Science of Memory and the “Rashomon Effect”

Published on: June 6, 2017

Rehab Programs After Your DUI: A Comprehensive Guide to the Treatment Options (with Statistics)

by Michael Kraut

The police recently picked you up for DUI—maybe even for the second or third time—and you’re finally ready to admit that you have an alcohol problem. You know you need assistance, but where do you go to find it? And how do you know which program is most likely to help you?

These seemingly simple questions can lead to a raft of conflicting, challenging decisions. It is almost shockingly difficult to find objective reviews of the various treatment options available as well as clear data about which approaches work best for different types of people.

This post aims to shine a light on this murky subject. Let’s explore. Where can you go for help? What programs are even out there?

Published on: May 1, 2017

DUI Training for LAPD Officers: How It Can Impact Your DUI Case

by Michael Kraut

How do officers working for Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) determine whether they should stop someone for a DUI?

All LAPD officers receive substantial training that helps them understand what to look for when patrolling L.A.’s freeways and surface streets for dangerous drivers—and drivers who might be under the influence. Police officers are human, however, so they can forget what they learned (or just ignore proper procedure) and make errors during the arrest process itself.

LAPD officers’ DUI training has changed considerably over the decades, according to the department’s website. Back in the 1970s, police departments in most jurisdictions, including Los Angeles, had no standards-based roadside sobriety tests to help them determine and document whether or not a person was driving while under the influence of alcohol. So different states (and different officers) developed their own versions of the sobriety tests.

Published on: March 2, 2017

Will Self-Driving Vehicles Solve the DUI Problem?

by Michael Kraut

For some people, the thought of autonomous vehicles opens up a range of partying possibilities. They imagine hanging out all night with friends, drinking whatever they’d like, and then getting into their own cars, which will drive them safely home. They won’t have to worry about getting pulled over for a DUI because the vehicle won’t swerve, run stop lights or travel erratically. The artificial intelligence that’s controlling their vehicle won’t be affected by its owner’s alcohol consumption.

While that scenario could become a reality at some point, it’s not likely that it will occur any time in the immediate future. For one thing, self-driving vehicles have a long way to go before they become feasible and/or widely accepted everywhere in the U.S. Plus, under most current scenarios, at least one human occupant has to sit behind the wheel of the vehicle and that human occupant (not the computer) is ultimately responsible for its operation. To accept that responsibility, that person will have to remain sober.

Autonomous Vehicles Today

Published on: February 5, 2017

A Los Angeles DUI Defense Quick Start Guide

by Michael Kraut

When you see a police car’s flashing lights in your rearview mirror, your first thought is probably something like “I hope they’re not after me.” But when it becomes clear that your vehicle is indeed the one that the officer is motioning over to the side of the road, you may start to panic—especially if you’ve spent the last few hours in the company of friends and have enjoyed an alcoholic beverage during that time.

Your behavior during the traffic stop and in the hours immediately following that stop could have a significant impact on your life, affecting everything from your ability to drive to your bank account. Follow these guidelines to ensure that you are taking every possible step to protect your rights and your future.

When the officer motions you over: