VIDEO LEARNING CENTER
DWI BLOOD TESTS
Are blood tests more accurate than breath tests? Blood tests are not always reliable.
About David Breston
The Breston Law Firm has handled over 4,000 cases and has been helping people in Texas since 1987. Watch this video to find out more about our firm
CHOOSING A DWI LAWYER
Learn how to choose a DWI lawyer and the importance of choosing an experienced attorney.
DWI PENALTIES
A Texas DWI charge can cost you to lose your license, you face fines and may cost you your job.
DWI/DUI CHARGES
Have you been charged with Driving While Intoxicated (DWI)? Watch this video by David Breston explaining how he may be able to help you.
DWI BREATH TESTS
Should you refuse a breath test if you are pulled over for DWI in Texas? Watch this video to learn.
Facts and Falsehoods about Houston DWI and DUI
Driving while intoxicated and/or driving under the influence are such contentious topics that it has led to numerous misconceptions on the part of the public – which only further complicates reasonable discourse and long-range solutions. Unfortunately groups representing all sides of the drinking and driving argument tend to refer to misinformation as a basis for their point of view – and when this is found to be false only strengthens the other side’s position. Consider the following facts and falsehoods about DWI and DUI.
When drunk driving fatalities are compiled annually they include any accident in which drinking was considered a factor – even if the driver has had no alcohol whatsoever. That means that if a bike rider or pedestrian is intoxicated and moves into the path of a vehicle that results in the death of anyone then this figure is added to the drunk driving statistics. Unfortunately, this then paints a false picture – increasing the numbers in such a way as to make it appear that drunk drivers are the perpetrators of these deaths.
A second untruth is that both field sobriety tests and breath analyzers are excellent indicators of a person’s level of intoxication. Time and again the results have been proven invalid and the reliability of these tools has been shown to be questionable instead. Blood alcohol tests in which a person’s blood is actually drawn and then sent to a lab for examination are riddled with problems as well.
Too, if you were to believe the government experts and anti-drinking and driving organizations intoxicated drivers account for nearly half of all highway deaths – a figure that would rile even the most laid-back American. However, a closer look at the data would reveal this to be a false claim. Instead, one need only consider the amount of federal and state funding and donations that filter through anti-drinking and driving groups to better understand the reason for these (outlandish) claims. This money keeps people employed (and otherwise lines people’s pockets) while preventing the average American from realizing that intoxicated drivers account for a much smaller number of vehicle fatalities annually – the number coming in at a much lower ten percent of all deaths. Certainly that is not to excuse the behavior – but we must start from a point of realism in order to create viable solutions.
Finally, it is simply not true that a single drink will cause every driver to become intoxicated – and lead to impaired driving. Every individual has a different physiological response to alcohol and it is your responsibility to know if you have had too much to drink. If so, make the adult choice to find an alternative way to get home. This may mean that you rely on a sober friend for a ride or call a taxi and return for your vehicle the following day. In so doing you are ensuring that you are not part of the problem – but have become a part of the solution instead.