Many law abiding citizens have a designated driver, Uber, or taxi ready to take them home after a night at the club or bar and grill when they know that they will be drinking. Others will stay at home to enjoy their alcoholic beverages. These people will not take any chances when it comes to drinking and driving. These people take the necessary steps required to prevent any type of unlawful or negligent acts. Unfortunately, some of these people are not aware that you can be committing a crime for the legal medications or substances that they ingest before getting behind the wheel. They have no idea that they could be driving under influence by simply taking a medication that had been prescribed to them.
Driving under the influence (DUI) is not limited to illegal drugs or Alcohol that cause impairment. Have you ever taken an allergy pill such as Benadryl or even heart or anxiety medication before getting in your car and driving? You could be on your way to a DUI. What we consider harmless medications or even legal drugs can cause impairment and affect response times while driving a vehicle. If you should have an accident while driving your vehicle after taking what you thought was a completely legal and harmless drug has now become a crime. Always read the warning labels on any medications you take before you decided to get behind the wheel, so you don’t have to battle with criminal offense of DUI.
If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself in a situation where you have been accused of DUI and need legal representation from a criminal defense attorney, contact my office today.
