No sane and reasonable person would condone driving drunk. Unfortunately, however, there is so much stigma attached to driving under the influence, then if you are even accused of being in a drunk driving accident it can be difficult to get a fair and impartial hearing. I had a friend who, as a teenager, was involved in what was supposed to be a drunk driving fatality. It was all over the news as a teenage drug driving accident so, when he went to court, people were already prejudiced against him. He claimed he was innocent, and to this day I believe him. Nonetheless, he was convicted of drunken driving.
This is why, if you are in a drunk driving accident, you have to have the best legal attorney possible. Although the constitution technically guarantees all of us the right to representation, the fact is that the representation we are given is not always good. If you, like my friend, do not have the money to hire an attorney, you may just be out of luck. Many of the public defenders are hacks at best, and lazy idiots at worst. I am not saying that there aren't good public defenders, because they are. Nonetheless, if you are in drunk driving accidents you may get one who only wants to settle the case as quickly as possible. He may not put everything he has into winning the case for you. That is why you have to hire some competent legal help. If you don't, your freedom may be at stake.
Drunk driving accident statistics show the alarmingly high rate of conviction. Although some people may hail this is a triumph of the justice system, I beg to differ. The facts are not always as simple as they seem. I think that, when people hear about what is supposed to be a drunk driving accident, they make up their minds before they hear the facts. Some things are so taboo in our culture that to even be accused of them is tantamount to being found guilty. The so-called justice system has come a long way, but it still has a lot way to go. If you are accused of driving under the influence, a drunk driving attorney is absolutely necessary. You should not speak until your lawyer is present, and then you should speak carefully. Otherwise, you may have the book thrown at you even if the drunk driving accident was not your fault.
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