In Washington State driving under the influence (“DUI”) has become increasingly taboo over the years. The government has made a concerted effort to stop people from drinking and driving. As a point of emphasis, Washington (unlike other states in our union, i.e. Oregon) actually does not convict or punish a person for riding a bicycle under the influence.
If a person is under the influence and riding a bicycle in Washington State he can still get stopped by a cop, but the ‘traffic stop’ is not to perform sobriety testing, or to even make a DUI arrest. Instead, the stop is to actually help the biker; the officer, by law, can either offer to take the biker to a safe place, or stay with the biker until a sober friend comes to help out. The caveat, though, is that if the officer thinks that it would reduce a threat to public safety, he can impound the person’s bike - without imposing an impound fee. Such a reasonable law would seem to positively incentivize people to avoid getting behind the wheel of a car after drinking; unlike our motor vehicle DUI laws that appear to now be so draconian and unbearably punitive. More laws like our DUI bike law may achieve the state’s intended goal of reducing DUI’s without having such a harsh and overwhelmingly negative impact on those charged and convicted of DUI.
If you are cited for DUI in Washington state it is smart to immediately seek the assistance of a Seattle DUI lawyer. A qualified and respected Seattle DUI attorney, among other things, can quite possibly save a person thousands of dollars in court and insurance fees, extent of loss of privilege to drive and amount of jail time to be served. Washington traffic laws are far too complicated for any ol’ attorney to handle. Be smart … hire a qualified and skilled Seattle DUI attorney when arrested for DUI or Reckless Driving in Washington State.