The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has periodic enhanced drunk driving enforcement crackdowns in the Twin Cities area. For drivers in the area, this means that during a scheduled crackdown they can expect to see more police officers than normal out on patrol. These officers are specifically targeting those drivers who are believed to be impaired.
A DWI crackdown is scheduled for Friday night. From Friday night until early Saturday morning there will be 150 squad cars looking for those driving behaviors consistent with drunk driving. Swerving and inconsistent speed are just two of the many common driving errors that can lead to being pulled over.
Of course though, this is not to say that every driver who swerves while driving home on a Friday night is under the influence. Instead, the swerving and inconsistent speeds could certainly be due to being tired or distracted. However, once pulled over, there are certain things every Minnesota driver should know.
The first is that Minnesota has an implied consent provision. This means that when a person gets a driver’s license, he or she is consenting to take certain tests, like a Breathalyzer, if pulled over on suspicion of DWI. If a driver refuses this test, this refusal can lead to a driver’s license being revoked.
But let’s say a person is pulled over and does submit to the breath test. Even if the test shows a blood alcohol content higher than 0.08 percent, the person charged with DWI should know a charge is not the same as a conviction. Rather, the results from the breath test can many times be challenged.
In the end, the take home message is that those who are charged with DWI in Minneapolis often have criminal defense options. And while there are certain enforcement times that can lead to an increase in DWI charges, DWI arrests still happen every day of the week. An attorney with experience handling these types of cases, especially Breathalyzer defense, can further look into a case and discuss those options.
Source: CBS Minnesota, “State Patrol To Have 1 Night Crackdown On Drunk Drivers,” May 10, 2013