Image via Wikipedia

Typically, when a person is convicted of DUI as Ms. Lohan was, the judge does not impose the full jail sentence permitted for the offense and instead imposes certain terms of probation and reduced or no jail time. For example, the maximum sentence permitted for a first DUI is 180 days in county jail; the maximum sentence permitted for a second DUI that occurred within 10 years of the first is 1 year in county jail.

During the probationary period (standard is three years), the person may be required to do certain things and/or may be required to refrain from doing other things. Common DUI probation terms include attending Alcoholic Anonymous classes; attending an alcohol or drug awareness program; spending a day at the morgue; payment of a fine; and agreeing not to drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in your system. As of July 1, 2010, anyone convicted of a DUI for the first time in Los Angeles County (and a few others) must also install an Ignition Interlock Device – a small breathalyzer attached to the car ignition that prevents the car from starting if any alcohol is detected in the driver’s blood.

If a person on DUI probation fails to comply exactly with the terms of probation set by the court, the judge will hold a hearing and may impose some or all of the jail sentence that he chose not to impose originally. So, in Ms. Lohan’s case, because the judge found that she failed to comply with the probation requirement that she attend weekly alcohol classes, the judge sentenced her to 90 days in jail and 90 days of rehab for violating her probation.

Arrests Planned for All Orange County DUI Drivers Now Through Labor Day

Our Orange County DUI lawyers have learned that between August 20 and September 6, several California counties will join an intense nationwide crackdown on drunk driving. The campaign is called “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit: Under Arrest.” Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County are among participating counties in California.

In Orange County, officers will conduct 5 checkpoints, 1 multi-agency DUI Task Force operation, 10 local roving DUI saturation patrols, a court sting operation, and a warrant/probation sweep targeting Orange County DUI repeat offenders. During the campaign, all impaired drivers will be arrested, according to officials involved in the campaign. Those arrested during the sweep are being threatened with jail time, loss of a driver’s license, fines, and possibly being ordered to use ignition interlocks.

According to officials involved with the program, fatalities and injuries due to alcohol in California have decreased significantly since the enforcement campaign began, from 1,780 in 2007 to 1,317 in 2009.

This blog always lists the locations of dui checkpoints orange county ca. For more specific information about the locations of the checkpoints in Orange County, click here. To read more about the locations of the checkpoints in Los Angeles County, click here.  And, you can always contact our Orange County DUI Lawyers, anytime, at (714) 568-1560.

Although the Orange County DUI statistics won’t be released until later today, Los Angeles stated that their DUI arrests were higher than they were in 2008.  Looks like the DUI enforcement program is working, as our Orange County DUI Lawyers mentioned previously.

Los Angeles – Drunken driving arrests by the California Highway Patrol are up this New Year’s Eve holiday weekend, across both California and here in the Southland, with arrests doubling this year in Orange County, according to CHP statistics.

In Orange County, the CHP made 58 drunken driving arrests compared with 32 last year, and one death was recorded, versus none last year.

In Los Angeles County, 241 drivers were arrested by the CHP between the hours of 6 p.m. Dec. 31, 2009 and 6 a.m. today. That’s up from 202 arrests in the similar period last year.

“It’s hard to tell if people just aren’t getting the message (about drinking and driving), and this year over last there are more people driving under the influence, or if officers are just getting luckier and catching more,” CHP officer Ray Scheidnes said. “We have as many officers as possible out on the roads trying to keep people safe.”

Statewide, 1,252 drunken driving arrests were made by the CHP, up from 986 during the 60-hour time period last year.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Over 1,100 DUI Arrests Over Extended Holiday Weekend (laist.com)
• CHP on NYE: Less Fatalities, More DUI Arrests than Last Year (laist.com)
• LA Sees 10 Percent Drop In Violent Crime In 2009 (huffingtonpost.com)

Image via Wikipedia

Holiday DUI Arrests Down 44 Percent From Last Year

Four traffic deaths were reported over the first 60 hours of the
holiday period in Los Angeles County and arrests for drunk driving
made by CHP officers were down about 44 percent from last year’s
total.

Emelio Ramirez, 25, of Oxnard, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run
driver Christmas Eve while walking in the right-most lane of the San
Diego (405) Freeway just south of the Marina (90) Freeway.

Sheryl Thacker, 38, and Carmela Rodriguez, 64, both of San Pedro, died
Christmas Day when a van they were in crashed and rolled over on the
Harbor (110) Freeway near Pacific Coast Highway.

Information on the fourth traffic fatality, which was not handled by
the CHP, was not immediately available.

Only one traffic fatality was reported during the similar time period in 2008.

Statewide, there were 16 traffic deaths this year as compared with 18 in 2007.

Local CHP officers made 158 DUI arrests between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 6
a.m. Saturday, compared to 282 arrests in the similar period last
year, CHP
Officer Anthony Martin said.

Drunk driving arrests are down by more than a third across the state
– from 1,303 at this point in 2007 to 824 this year, Martin said.

Arrests for drunk driving by California Highway Patrol officers in
Orange County over the first sixty hours of the holiday period were
down about 20 percent from last year’s total, it was reported
Saturday.

Local CHP officers made 42 DUI arrests between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 6
a.m. Saturday, compared to 53 arrests in the similar period last year,
CHP Officer Rob Sanchez said.

Drunk driving arrests are down by more than a third across the state
– from 1,303 at this point in 2007 to 824 this year, Sanchez said.

A teenager died Saturday in the only reported traffic death in Orange
County during the period. The 19-year-old passenger, who was not yet
identified, was in a crash involving two allegedly drunk drivers, one
of whom was driving the wrong way on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway.

One fatality was also reported in Orange County during the similar
period in 2007.

Statewide 16 traffic deaths were reported as compared to 18 in 2007.

CHP-reported DUI statistics concern only the arrests made by CHP
officers, while the fatality totals cover all law enforcement
jurisdictions in California, as reports are filed with the state.

((c) 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Related articles:

• Holiday Traffic Deaths Up, DUI Arrests Down in LA County
• Holiday DUI Arrests Down, So Far
• Why celebrities are such bad drivers.