Massachusetts DUI Lawyers Blog

As the temperature continues to climb, so does business for Massachusetts OUI/DUI defense attorneys. Every year, statistics show that more people in Massachusetts are arrested for drunk driving throughout the summer months than during any other season. Whether the warm weather leads people to drink more, the sun increases the affect of alcohol on the body, or the warm, dry roads make people feel confident in their ability to make it home safely, this summer has generated even more arrests of those suspected of drunk driving than in past years. There is one main reason: in the past few weeks alone, five Massachusetts police officers have been either injured or killed while on patrol during the hours of 12- 2:30 am after being struck by a driver suspected of operating under the influence. Police are entrusted with discretion to arrest, and naturally the injuries to their own will lead to many criminal charges that four or five years ago might not have been. The legislature enacted a law in March 2009 known as the "move-over law" to protect officers on patrol after several were injured last year, but these recent incidents have sparked the police union to call for more patrol units to crack down on drunk driving. There does not seem to be much opposition to their request, so we can safely predict the already high volume of OUI/DUI arrests this summer to continue to climb with the temperature.