A Texas DWI Charge Is No Happy Holiday

 Posted on January 01, 2021 in Uncategorized

The New Year's holiday can bring much good cheer--sometimes a little too much good cheer. Two Texas-DWI stories illustrate the problem with imbibing irresponsibly over the holidays.

DWI Enforcement Actions over the Holidays

The first of those stories highlights an annual New Year's Eve joint-agency drunk-driving enforcement action involving both local and Texas state police. This particular enforcement action around the University of Texas's Permian Basin campus in Odessa was one of many around Texas and the nation over the holidays. It led to forty-nine arrests. More than half of those arrests were for driving while intoxicated. That's a lot of holiday bad cheer, especially considering the up to $20,000 cost the story reports can result from a first-time DWI conviction.

The second story again highlights an annual local DWI-enforcement action, this one by Garland police outside Dallas. Stretching across both Christmas and New Year's Eve, the action led to dozens of citations and twenty-six DWI arrests. The story reports that Garland police, like many agencies around Texas and the nation, hold special-enforcement actions around other holidays, too. Although Texas state police were not directly involved in the Garland action, Texas Department of Transportation grants helped fund the extra patrols.

The Connection Between Holidays and DWI Arrests

DWI arrests spike around New Year's Eve and other holidays for both predictable and surprising reasons. The predictable reason is good holiday cheer. People return home, gather with family and friends, and imbibe more than usual. Driving after enjoying oneself is neither wise nor necessary, but it happens. Hence the spike in DWI arrests.

The other reason, though, is less predictable and more surprising. Holidays are a lonely time of year for many who have lost family, friends, jobs, and supportive relationships. Just when we want to feel the best, over the holidays, sometimes we feel the worst, missing the good cheer we expect. Hence the holiday over-imbibing and spike in DWI arrests.

Let Us Help Take the Sting out of a Holiday DWI Arrest

The thing to remember about any DWI arrest is that a DWI charge is not a conviction. The prosecution has a high burden of proof, even as to a holiday DWI charge. Police base many DWI arrests on false allegations, mistaken observations, and unreliable tests and reports. Prosecutors pursue exaggerated or erroneous DWI charges without a sound basis in credible evidence.

Premier criminal-defense lawyer and 2021 Houston DWI Lawyer of the Year Doug Murphy, helps clients defend DWI charges while managing their consequences. Read here how an aggressive advocate like Doug Murphy can successfully defend a DWI case. The key for anyone facing a DWI charge is to know your DWI rights while getting the legal representation that can enforce those rights for your best benefit.

As a Board Certified DWI specialist and one of only two Texas lawyers holding both DWI Board Certification and Criminal Law Certification, Doug Murphy has the experience, skill, and sensitivity to help DWI defendants. Contact Murphy & McKinney Law Firm, P.C. online or at 713-229-8333 to discuss your case today. Put a little good cheer back in the holidays. Trust Texas DWI attorney Doug Murphy with your DWI defense.