If you are facing DUI charges in Fauquier County, an experienced lawyer can aggressively defend for you in court. Below, a Fauquier DUI lawyer speaks about how DUI charges are enforced in Fauquier County and how DUI checkpoints work.
Driving under the influence is found under Virginia Code Section 18.2-266 and enumerates four basic types of driving behavior in which you may be charged with driving under the influence. Virginia has merged Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Driving When Intoxicated (DWI) into one offense and that is found in 18.2-266.
You do not need to blow a 0.08 BAC to be charged. 0.08 BAC or blood alcohol content is the legal limit for driving in Virginia. This creates what is known as a permissive inference that you are in violation of the statute. It is also often sometimes called the “per se” level. However, you do not need to reach this level to be charged with driving under the influence or DUI if your behavior, including your driving behavior and your personal conduct, leads an officer to believe that alcohol, drugs, or a combination of alcohol and drugs are influencing your driving to a degree in which you’re either intoxicated or impaired.
DUI laws are heavily enforced in Fauquier County as they are vital safety laws for drivers on the highways of Fauquier County. The Virginia State Police and the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office actively enforce DUI laws.
In addition to their role in protecting the public safety, Fauquier County law enforcement officers are involved with DUI related task force efforts to combat DUI in the county. DUI related task forces mean officers are on the road specifically enforcing traffic laws in areas where DUI driving may be common. This means they are looking for driving behaviors such as:
It also means this traffic enforcement is most likely going to happen in areas where alcohol consumption is common such as near bars, clubs, and restaurants or in the summer months after concerts, sporting events and other picnics and parties where people may consume alcohol and then decide to drive.
Given the size of the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office and the resources available, it’s tough to say that DUI checkpoints are common. However, Fauquier County often implements DUI checkpoints in the summer months after concerts and festivals and at certain times and places in which driving under the influence is more likely to occur. Fauquier County has a lot of rural roads and a lot of small towns and hamlets. These offer many good locations for driving laws to be enforced, including checkpoint enforcement, and they’re enforced regularly.
Northern Virginia Criminal Defense Group
