Ypsilanti crash leads to drunk driving arrest

On behalf of Simon & Geherin, PLLC posted in Drunk Driving on Tuesday, June 19, 2012.

When alcohol use and driving mix, the results can be less than favorable. People who drink alcohol and then drive are making a dangerous choice, which can result in serious injury or death to themselves or others. Michigan is not immune to the challenges posed by policing drunk driving as evidenced by a recent crash in Ypsilanti.

According to reports, a 48-year-old woman was arrested on drunk driving charges earlier this month after she was involved in an accident at the intersection of West Cross Street and North Wallace Boulevard. The woman reportedly rear-ended another vehicle that was stopped at the intersection around 7 p.m. When police arrived at the scene, they made a preliminary determination that the woman was intoxicated and took her into custody on drunk driving charges.

According to reports from the Michigan State Police, Washtenaw County ranks far above the statewide average in the number of crashes that occur annually that involve alcohol. In 2010, the last year for which figures are available, 310 alcohol-related crashes occurred in Washtenaw County. The statewide average by county that year was 120 crashes.While the statistics show that drunk driving remains a major concern in Michigan, anyone arrested on suspicion of drunk driving should remember that they are innocent until proven guilty. There are many elements the prosecution must prove when pursuing a drunk driving conviction. When a case involves such factors as field sobriety tests, breath tests and blood alcohol level determinations, there are multiple opportunities for law enforcement officers to make mistakes.Our firm’s founder, Dan Geherin, is a former prosecutor and board-certified DUI attorney in Ann Arbor with over 25+ years’ experience practicing criminal law, and the published author of The Michigan Drunk Driving and Driver’s License Handbook.

Source: AnnArbor.com, "Woman accused of drunken driving crashes vehicle into stopped traffic," John Counts, June 8, 2012