A 58-year-old Brookfield woman was arrested for driving under the influence on Friday in Riverside. When asked by police officers, the woman informed them that she had been celebrating earlier in the evening because she got her driver's licence back after a conviction for driving under the influence last fall.
The woman was pulled over for speeding but later tests revealed her blood alcohol content to be 0.155, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. She is facing charges for felony aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and may face incarceration as a result.
The responding officer ran a check on the woman's license and learned that it was still suspended from her prior conviction, despite her claims to the contrary. As part of her prior sentence, a breath-alcohol ignition interlock device was reportedly installed in her car. The device requires a driver to exhale into a collection tube before the car can be started. If the presence of alcohol is detected on the driver's breath, the vehicle will not start. However in this case, it appears the woman was driving someone else's car that did not have a breath-alcohol ignition interlock device installed, allowing her to drive even with her high blood alcohol content.
Illinois law presumes that any driver with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher is driving under the influence of alcohol and is impaired. This is the level that applies to the general population though specific types of drivers may face more stringent requirements. For example, drivers under the age of 21 and bus drivers are not allowed any alcohol in their system when driving while the limit for commercial drivers is a blood alcohol content of 0.04. According to the Illinois Secretary of State, the average driver arrested for driving under the influence is male, 34 years old, arrested between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. on a weekend, and possesses a blood alcohol content of 0.16 - twice the legal limit.
Drunk drivers are less aware of their surroundings and have slower reaction times, making them a danger to all drivers on the roads. They can be responsible for collisions with other vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, or even pedestrians that may result in injuries or death. If you have been injured by a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs, call the Illinois drunk driving injury attorneys at Abels & Annes, P.C. today for a consultation regarding your case. You may have a claim for your personal injuries and any lost wages you sustained as a result of the collision. If you have been injured or if a loved one has been injured or killed, call us today at (312) 924-7575 or toll free at (855) 529-2442. We have a lawyer standing by to take your call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide you with a free consultation with no obligation. Call us now and let us fight for a recovery you deserve.
Prior Blog Entries:
School Bus Driver Faces No Charges in Fatal Illinois Crash, Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, published May 3, 2013.
4 Vehicle Crash Injures 5 in Southwest Chicago Suburb, Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, published May 2, 2013.
Resources:
Woman busted in Riverside for DUI tells police she was celebrating getting license back - after earlier DUI, Chicago Sun-Times, published May 4, 2013.
2013 Illinois DUI fact book, State of Illinois, February 2013.
Photo Credit: A beer in a pub, Image ID 1171697, stock.xchng.
