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DWI

The most common brush with the long arm of the law for law abiding citizens is the charge of driving while intoxicated. If in fact you do consume alcohol and drive, chances are that sooner or later you will at least be stopped for your first offense DWI.

Louisiana has made numerous changes to DWI laws over the past years and the legislature is currently trying to criminalize the act of refusing to take a breathalyzer test such that the person would suffer criminal consequences for refusing to take the breathalyzer test.

At any rate, Louisiana law provides statutory mandates for various levels of DWI such that first offense through fourth offense has separate charges depending on the number of times you have been arrested.

Also, there are constitutional issues that can come into play as to whether or not a previous DWI can be held against you, depending on whether or not you were sentenced properly in prior cases.

At any rate, it is imperative that you seek the advice of an attorney to help you minimize the charge of DWI, especially if you have multiple DWI's.

Without a doubt, the best legal advice regarding driving while intoxicated is to never, ever, consume any type of alcohol even in modest amounts and then drive.

Further making driving while intoxicated a serious crime, the legislature has chosen to make injuries caused by DWI drivers one of the only areas in Louisiana law where a Louisiana judge or jury can provide the injured victim with punitive damages against the person driving while intoxicated, awarding damages over and above the actual damages that were caused in the accident.

To that end, driving while intoxicated is a very serious issue that is routinely encountered by normally law abiding citizens who have just not realized yet that driving while intoxicated is a very, very serious crime.