Real Estate Law Misconceptions

You probably feel embarrassed and upset after being charged with driving under the influence, and somehow, being a woman seems to make the situation even more humiliating. You may be interested to know that lawyers have specific techniques for defending women who have been charged with this offense. Rather than simply accept a conviction and deal with the consequences, consider hiring an attorney to defend you.

Breath Testing Inaccuracies

Breath testing equipment can only estimate the blood alcohol level, so it's likely to have a certain level of inaccuracy. This inaccuracy can be worse for women than for men.

Hematocrit

For example, the equipment may be calibrated for a certain amount of blood cell volume, which is known as hematocrit. Women tend to have significantly lower hematocrit levels than men do, and that can lead to an inaccurately high reading of their estimated blood alcohol. 

Body Temperature

Even small elevations in body temperature above the norm can lead to a falsely high blood alcohol reading. Women's body temperature fluctuates with the menstrual cycle and is higher when a woman is ovulating. In addition, during menopause, hot flashes can cause elevations in body temperature. These hormonal factors put women at greater risk for inaccurate breath analysis results. 

Roadside Sobriety Testing Issues

Law enforcement officials view a refusal to do a roadside sobriety test, such as walking a straight line, as an admission of guilt. The prosecuting attorney uses this refusal against defendants in court. However, women often have certain issues with these tests that are not generally true for men.

A woman may realize that she will not be completely stable walking on the road in high heels, for example, even if she is not intoxicated. The only other option would be to walk on the road without shoes, and she may not feel comfortable about doing that. In addition, walking barefoot may cause instability issues compared with wearing shoes. 

Concluding Thoughts

Contact a DUI lawyer today for a free consultation. If you hire this attorney, he or she will protect your rights and put forth every effort to make sure you are not convicted. Depending on the circumstances, the lawyer may be able to have the charges reduced or even dropped by the prosecuting attorney, or convince the judge to dismiss the case. 

If conviction is inevitable, having a lawyer, such as Elgart Ronald H, can make sure you receive the lowest penalty allowed by law. That's a critical factor, since judges have substantial discretion in the severity of penalties they can order.