Fourth of July Weekend Means Increased Law Enforcement Watching the Roads

Celebrating the holidays often means a day off from work and an opportunity to spend the day hanging out with family and friends. Today marks the beginning of a gorgeous three-day weekend for most as we celebrate the Fourth of July when Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. These long weekends naturally result in increased travelers on California roads. Increased traffic means increased law enforcement, so speeding and other driving and traffic violations may lead to tickets and arrests. Since traffic fatalities go up significantly during holiday weekends, the police will be out and enforcing traffic laws, including sobriety checkpoints set up throughout San Diego County.

Checkpoints to Monitor Increased Driver Traffic and Maximized Enforcement

Checkpoints can be scary, even if you are not doing anything wrong. However, these checkpoints are in place to ensure anyone who is a hazard on the road does not continue driving, risking injury or death to themselves or others. Unfortunately, at these checkpoints, police will ask for a driver's license and insurance even if you are NOT in direct violation of any laws. In these stops, police may also cite drivers for a myriad of "fix-it" citations. Nothing is more inconvenient than trying to manage the day-to-day tasks like getting to work or school and having to get a headlight fixed and then get to the court to show them the fix has taken place. Let's not pretend that everyone in San Diego is driving a new enough car that there are no lights out or things that need to be fixed! However, these tickets are inconvenient but can lead to more significant consequences if not corrected.

Law Enforcement Focus on Speeding Violations

California Highway Patrol is focused on enforcing speed limits across the state, including aggressive or distracted drivers. Of course, driving under the influence is included because cases increase greatly on these long holiday weekends.

Last year, on this holiday weekend, close to 1,000 arrests for driving under the influence and more than 10,000 citations were issued. It is expected both of these numbers will go up this year. This weekend is one of the holidays San Diego residents will notice a significant increase in law enforcement presence out on the streets to maximize enforcement. It is best to call for a ride if you have consumed alcohol or drugs. Experiencing a DUI arrest is devastating and can leave a mark on your record, making life more complicated than it needs to be. Other advice is to give yourself enough time to arrive at your destination safely and obey traffic laws and speed limits this long weekend to avoid ending up in the back seat of a patrol car.

Exercise Your Fifth Amendment Right

If you do find yourself arrested or facing criminal charges due to a traffic or driving violation in San Diego, contact an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately. Joni Eisenstein, the most experienced criminal defense attorney in San Diego, brings over 30 years of experience successfully helping clients facing similar charges. It is wise to exercise your right not to self-incriminate (Fifth Amendment) and insist on speaking with an attorney before spilling your guts and trying to get out of a ticket or arrest. Too often, people try to "talk their way out of" a ticket, but this usually ends up doing more harm than good.

The best defense attorneys will gladly offer a free consultation over the phone, so they can further guide you in the following steps. Again, having someone fighting on your side takes enormous stress out of a situation where you are facing criminal charges because you can be confident the best possible outcome will result. Reputable attorneys in San Diego have relationships with the courts and are familiar with the process, so no deadlines or appearance and filing dates are missed. Once you retain an experienced criminal defense attorney, they immediately start working for you to get charges reduced and, in some cases, dismissed entirely.

Ultimately, San Diego law enforcement and California Highway Patrol are doing what they can to minimize the number of auto-related deaths that occur over the weekend. However, sometimes this may result in an over-reaching rule of authority. In these cases, an exceptional criminal defense attorney can present evidence showing the arrest may have been misguided or mishandled. There are several defenses an experienced attorney will use, and it is not worth trying to go through this alone. Hiring an attorney is worth every cent when you get your life back to normal and successfully move past the hurdles that inevitably come when being arrested and charged. Fighting against the charges is proactive and doing everything one can to avoid a conviction is critical. Contact a local criminal defense attorney for a free consultation and find out how they can help you.