What are the Best Strategies for Defending DWI Charges?
Getting charged with DWI, driving while impaired, can be a daunting experience. You were likely driving along when you were stopped by the police. Suddenly, you find yourself at the side of the road, answering questions and performing some field sobriety tests. The next thing you know, you are in handcuffs, headed to the police station. DWI charges are serious, and if you are found guilty, you could face a number of severe penalties. Depending on the circumstances of your arrest, there may be options for successfully defending DWI charges.
Can I Get a DWI While Riding a Bicycle in North Carolina?
Riding your bicycle is a great way to get around town. You can ride your bike to get to and from work, to go visit friends, and for pleasure and exercise. When you ride your bike, you may not feel that you have to follow all the same rules that you do when you are behind the wheel of a car. Some people may even use their bicycle instead of a vehicle in an attempt to avoid getting a DWI. Unfortunately, you are still subject to the same traffic laws as when you drive a car. You can still get a DWI while you are riding a bicycle in North Carolina.
Charlotte DWI and Criminal Defense Attorney J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can the police search my car without a warrant?”
When the humanity of the future looks back at our American age, they may properly describe it as the age of rules, an age in which personal freedom may be exercised only with certain caveats. Those caveats seem always to be expanding.
A person in North Carolina can drive a motor vehicle on a public roadway, for instance, but only upon certain conditions. The motor vehicle the person is operating must be insured. It must have been inspected within a year and contain, on its license plate, proof of the inspection. The motor vehicle must be affixed with a valid license plate. The driver must possess a valid driver’s license. The driver and all occupants must restrain themselves with seatbelts. Of course, the driver must obey all traffic laws. Violations of any of these rules subject a person to criminal or administrative penalties.
All these rules have some people opting for bikes, and I don’t mean motorcycles. Municipalities like the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have been encouraging bicycle use for years. Increased bicycle use for transportation cuts down on traffic congestion and is better for the environment, they say. That has led urban planners to cut heavily travelled urban roadways like Charlotte’s East Boulevard from four lanes to two lanes and, at the same time, to install pedestrian and cyclist-friendly bicycle lanes, sidewalks and crosswalks.
In general, bicycles may be a frustrated automobile driver’s ticket to a simpler life. Not so fast, says Rowan County Commissioner Craig Pierce. Pierce thinks anyone who rides a bicycle on a state highway—including in bike lanes—should be required to have a driver’s license, to carry a policy of liability insurance on the bike, to register the bike and to pay property taxes on it. Pierce said when he went to the beach and bought a golf cart, he found out that if he drove the golf cart on a public road, he had to “put a tag on it, it has to be inspected, it has to have seatbelts, it has to have lights, it has to turn signals, has to have a rearview mirror, it has to have a horn, has to have a windshield wiper…”
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Blog
What are the Best Strategies for Defending DWI Charges?
