It is an interesting legal notion that drunk driving roadblocks are published ahead of time. This one in particular was announced for a road in Bradenton and south Manatee County.

What is particularly fascinating about this announcement is the fact that MADD representatives will be present at the DUI roadblock checkpoint.

What public safety purpose is there in having a victims advocacy group present at a police detail? Are they rooting for arrests? Does that make the police more or less likely to arrest anyone who may have had one drink with a slight smell or alcohol?

Just questions, but it really doesn’t sound right to me.

If you’re facing a DUI charge in Florida, contact out attorneys for a case evaluation.

Update: Lawrence Taylor runs the numbers. Evidence that roadblocks have any meaningful effect is hard to find.

MADD, the nations largest drunk driving victim advocacy group, announced new proposed enhancements to Florida DUI laws. The law would require anyone convicted of drunk driving with a .105% Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) to have an ignition interlock device installed in his or her vehicle. A level of .105 is just above the .08 legal limit for drunk driving in Florida.

An ignition interlock device requires the driver to blow into an alcohol detecting device in order to start his vehicle. If the device detects any (.02 BAC) alcohol in his breath, the car ignition will not start, and a violation will be logged.

Ignition interlock device driver’s license restrictions are increasingly popular for those with drunk driving convictions, particularly in the case of multiple offenders with chronic alcohol addition problems. The interlock device allows a person to drive under normal, unimpaired, circumstances, and therefore doesn’t restrict his ability to drive to work and make a living.

Previous incarnations of proposed new Florida DUI laws have included high BAC levels with an ignition interlock requirement at a .15 BAC, almost twice the legal limit of intoxication.

A circuit judge in Hillsborough County recused himself from presiding over a drunk driving case after a defense attorney argued he hadn’t shown the appearance of impartiality. The issue? The judge mentioned support of MADD, the nation’s leading victim advocacy group for drunk driving laws, on his official judicial web site.

The judge himself agreed that it could be construed as indicating that he might not be impartial in his rulings in a DUI trial in his court. He then immediately had the reference to MADD removed from his web listing.

But, does anyone really believe that simply taking down a line from his web page biography really makes a difference in how he will rule? Defense attorneys may continue to argue that he maintains this bias if they believe it will help their client.

But the larger issue is that, experienced defense lawyers know all judges have biases, tendencies, and patterns in how they rule. Many are fair, some are extremely tough towards defendants, and some are relatively lenient. A smart defense lawyer knows his court and knows the judges. It may make sense to continue or delay a case if you know that you will be in front of a particularly tough judge.

It is a commonly misunderstood fact that justice is not blind, not fair, and not perfect. It is determined by imperfect people, after all. But it can be difficult to understand how the difference between a guilty and not guilty verdict, or a harsh sentence or a minimal sentence is often entirely based on the judge behind the bench or the people in the jury box.

Fairness is a goal of the overall system, but certainly not a standard that is met in every case.

For every advantage in your case, you need the best Florida criminal defense lawyer you can get. You want a lawyer who knows the law, and knows the system, and will work it to get you the best possible outcome. Please contact us for a consultation on your criminal charges in Florida. When you speak to the attorney, ask about similar cases in your courtroom.

Our goal is not fairness, but to fight for you. That is the job of every defense lawyer. Please contact us to find out what we can do to help.

The Florida State Senate Committee on Transportation approved a bill to enhance penalties for “High BAC” DUI Offenders.  Under current Florida DUI law, a person who is convicted of a DUI after blowing a .20 & BAC would be required to install an ignition interlock alcohol Breathalyzer device in their vehicle, for 6 months. Under the proposed new DUI law, that BAC threshold for an interlock requirement would be reduced to .15 BAC, or just under double the legal limit of .08.

The bill must still be passed by the full legislature.