The numbers from recent polls indicate that the majority of Americans partake in alcoholic beverages, with beer and wine topping the lists for preference. Other research delves into the reasoning for the consumption, citing social pressure, isolation, and the psychological effects among the top reasons. However, the anxiety-reducing effects that alcohol often ranks above the rest. Many believe that during the high-stress holiday season between Thanksgiving Day and New Year’s Day has a direct correlation with the increase of holiday DUI statistics.

Dangerous Holidays

Although Independence Day took the top spot for the most deadly holiday of 2015 due to the amount of DUI fatalities, coming in closely behind it is “Blackout Wednesday.” If you have not found this date on your calendar, do not be alarmed, it is not an official holiday. Blackout Wednesday is unofficially coined and occurs on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Eve if you will. Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve pale in comparison. Reasons this particular Wednesday resulted in nearly 400 DUI related fatalities in 2015 include:

Sporting events of any kind seem to go hand-in-hand with the consumption of vendor stand food and alcoholic beverages. For years, venues for large events overprice product and still fans flock to the vendors in droves to buy all they can carry back to their seats. Often, patrons drink more than their usual amount. Season after season, officers wait outside stadiums across the country to spot those who had a little too much fun, resulting in a significant number of DUI.

Venues Take Responsibility

Fault often rests on the shoulders of sites agreeing to sell alcohol to the point of impairment, putting not only their fans at risk but also the citizens of the hosting city. Although occasions such as these result in a substantial amount of revenue, there is also a significant amount of liability of the employees and property itself. Illinois Dram Shop laws can hold vendors selling alcohol accountable if an intoxicated patron ends up dying or killing someone else on the way home. Therefore, vendors and venues are cracking down on drinking responsibly, enforcing rules such as:

A fatality can be a life-changing experience for any loved ones left behind. It is especially heart wrenching if the death was sudden and unexpected, such as in a traffic collision. It can be equally life-altering for those accused of causing the accident. If driving under the influence is the contributing factor found in the investigation, two sets of lives may be altered forever.

The Situation

After a long work week, you and your spouse decide to go out to dinner. You both order a glass of wine and begin catching up like old times. By the time dinner arrives, your wine is gone, and you decide to have another. With laughter, you accidentally spill some red wine on your white dress shirt. The sun has gone down, and it becomes evident that it is time to get home. However, on the way home, there is construction, and the lights are blindingly bright. You do not see the temporary lane shift on the highway, and you and an oncoming car collide. The accident results in severe injuries, and the other driver passes away as a result.

You probably had a realization at the moment you saw the police lights in the rearview mirror that a change was about to happen. Anxiety may have developed for the unknown and the uncontrollable as the officer approached your window. If you were drinking before you got behind the wheel of the vehicle, the stress perhaps was even greater. A DUI could change the course of your life not only because of the punishments involved but also because it becomes a matter of public knowledge until it is expunged or sealed.

There Are No Secrets Anymore

Gossip used to be the primary method anyone used to shovel up dirt on someone else. However, with the growth of social media and other informational resources, the information is available for anyone to discover without speaking to anyone or even leaving the house. Unless you are considered to be high profile, the information is not located on billboards or the nightly news, but the information is easily obtained. Several methods of learning about DUI arrest records are:

Many often say that ignorance is bliss. The phrase is used notably either about the period before any devastating news was received or when others know the truth of a circumstance and the person living in it is unaware and happy in their non-reality. This term also has applications in a variety of legal settings. However, can ignorance of the law be used as a defense for DUI in Illinois?

Ignorance as a Defense

In limited circumstances, ignorance or a misunderstanding of the law is applicable as a defense. As with any defensive strategy, the details surrounding the event are key elements. If the questioned behavior is not obviously wrong, this may be an avenue to consider when planning defense cases. Ignorance potentially may be a solution if the following qualifications are satisfied: