For many people, the holiday season spans from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. During the roughly 33 days of the 2013 holiday season, people will celebrate with family gatherings, office parties, cocktail parties, and get-togethers with friends. Many of these celebrations will involve alcohol, and without adequate preparation and precaution, the end of a night with family and friends can lead to a DUI arrest or an alcohol-related accident.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reveals some "sobering" statistics regarding holiday DUI, based on crash data from 2010:

  • Thanksgiving - From the day before Thanksgiving through weekend after the holiday, DUI accidents accounted for 174 deaths--40 percent of all highway fatalities.
  • Christmas - From Christmas Eve through the following holiday weekend, DUI accidents claimed 96 lives, comprising 37 percent of highway deaths.
  • New Year's Holiday - During New Year's Eve and the surrounding holiday weekend, DUI accidents claimed 143 lives, or 48 percent of highway fatalities. On New Year's Day, the percentage of fatalities attributed to DUI spikes to 57 percent.
  • Obviously, an accident involving catastrophic injury or death is the worst case scenario for drinking and driving. There are often lesser consequences for driving while impaired, but these situations also bear serious repercussions.

In Oklahoma, a person can be charged with DUI--or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs--with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or greater. However, a person can be charged with an alcohol-related driving offense with a lower BAC under certain circumstances. While a first offense DUI is typically a misdemeanor, there are certain conditions under which a DUI may be charged as a felony--for example, a second or subsequent offense within 10 years of the preceding conviction is charged as a felony. 

Often, DUI is a repeat offense, because a person charged may have a problem with addiction, making the cycle harder to break. DUI statistics show that there are an estimated 2 million people in the United States with 3 or more DUI convictions; more than 400,000 have 4 or more drunk driving convictions.

If you are arrested for DUI in Oklahoma, you need to find an experienced attorney to handle your defense. Even in light of blood alcohol analysis indicating intoxication, there are options for your defense, including an illegal traffic stop resulting in dismissal or a deferred sentence providing you the opportunity to avoid jail and conviction while serving probation.

Learn more about Oklahoma DUI laws on our website, or contact an attorney here to discuss your case.

Coventon Criminal Defense wishes you a safe and happy holiday season, and we encourage you to celebrate responsibly.