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According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, there were 5,477 crashes where alcohol was involved or where there was suspected alcohol use in 2019. While there isn’t a crash every time someone drives under the influence, there’s often a different consequence – a DUI.

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.

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.

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.

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:

The first question that potential DUI / DWI clients in our office almost always asks is: “Do I have to hire an attorney to handle my Missouri DUI / DWI Case?"

Before beginning a discussion of Missouri DUI / DWI / BAC cases, it is important to note that in every Missouri alcohol-traffic offense, it is important for a driver facing theses charges to understand that there are two separate components to these types of cases. Each Missouri case involving impairment and a vehicle have both a civil and criminal element must be dealt with separately.

If you are found guilty in your Missouri DUI / DWI or other drunk driving case, you may be placed on probation. Probation is a process where the Court may release you without incarceration or other imprisonment after you are found guilty.

Under Missouri's Implied Consent law, RSMo. 577.020, every driver who operates a motor vehicle in the State of Missouri by law has given implied consent to giving a blood, breath, saliva or urine sample to determine the alcohol content of their blood if arrested upon reasonable grounds to believe they were driving a motor vehicle while in an intoxicated or drugged condition.