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In the last decade, there has been a 34% decrease in the number of alcohol-related driving fatalities. That’s good news. There is also bad news. During the same period, the number of drug-related driving fatalities has increased by 49%. The opioid crisis has played a role in the jump; so has marijuana.

Drunk driving is a startling common mistake that can have disastrous consequences for everyone involved. For DUI offenders, the consequences can vary from a suspended license, a criminal record, or jail time. If you have been charged with a DUI in Kansas City, there are some frequently asked questions that may be able to help you better understand your situation.

One of the standardized field sobriety tests which officers typically employ to determine if someone is above the legal limit is the HGN Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus eye test.

To be found guilty of “driving while intoxicated” in a Missouri DUI / DWI case, the defendant must actually be found to have been “driving” or “operating” the vehicle, otherwise, it is a mere case of at worst public intoxication or possibly minor in possession if the driver is Under 21 years of age.

When comparing driver's license point suspensions in a Missouri DUI / DWI case to driver's license revocations or denials, it is important to note that a driver may have their Missouri driving privilege simultaneously suspended for points while at the same time also having a license revocation for separate and different reasons.

If your Missouri driving privilege / Missouri driver's license has been suspended, and you would like to get your driver's license reinstated, do the following things:

Missouri has recently passed legislation that has made life a lot tougher for Missouri drivers who plead guilty or are sentenced for a second or greater DWI or BAC offense.

It is important to understand how alcohol interacts with the human body when discussing a Missouri DUI / DWI case. Lay people assume that if you “blew above 0.08% BAC,” your case is hopeless. Testing above the legal limit, by itself, is only an indicator of intoxication, it does not indicate “when” the intoxication took place.

It is important that you understand that if you were involved in an accident in a Missouri DUI / DWI case, that you consider not speaking with your insurance carrier prior to first retaining an attorney for advice.

There are three Main points of contention in a license suspension hearing for a refusal of a chemical test in the civil portion of a Missouri DUI / DWI case.