Archive for category Boating Under the Influence (BUI)
Labor Day Weekend 2019: Sobriety Checkpoints Planned for East Tennessee
Posted by Arrin Zadeh in Boating Under the Influence (BUI), DUI Penalties, Field Sobriety Tests, Hiring a Tennessee DUI Attorney, Legal Rights, Tennessee DUI Checkpoints, Tennessee DUI Consequences, Tennessee DUI Information, Tennessee DUI Laws, Tennessee DUI News, Traffic Citations, Traffic Ticket on August 28th, 2019
Drivers in East Tennessee need to be mindful during the upcoming Labor Day Weekend while driving to the lake for one more weekend of “fun in the sun” before the summer ends and football time begins! Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers and other law enforcement agencies will be out in force in most of the East Tennessee area this Labor Day weekend ensuring that motorists are not driving while impaired or committing traffic violations.
The 2019 holiday enforcement period begins Friday, August 30, and will include several sobriety checkpoints in the following East Tennessee counties: Union, Campbell, Monroe and Sevier. For a full list of checkpoints please click here.
The DUI defense lawyers at Oberman & Rice are always willing to help those who may find themselves being arrested at one of these checkpoints or being cited for a traffic violation. If you or a loved one find yourself in need of a skilled trial lawyer, please make sure to contact one of our three law partners 24/7 at (865) 249-7200 or by visiting www.tndui.com.
Don’t Drink and Scoot
Posted by Arrin Zadeh in Boating Under the Influence (BUI), DUI First Offense Penalties, DUI Penalties, Hiring a Tennessee DUI Attorney, Legal Rights, Tennessee Driver's License, Tennessee DUI Consequences, Tennessee DUI Information, Tennessee DUI Laws, Tennessee DUI News, Tennessee DUI Penalties, Tennessee Traffic Violations, TN BUI on July 3rd, 2019
On July 1, 2019, several new laws and modifications of current Tennessee DUI laws were implemented. The first we will discuss (with more updates to follow on this blog) refers to all of the scooters that have become common place in most major downtown areas in Tennessee. In downtown Knoxville, for example, you cannot walk a block without seeing these scooters available for rent. In case you are not familiar with these scooters, one such company, called Zagster (2024 update: Zagster has since closed. If you are interested, in what happened to Zagster, read this article by Randy Joycelyn), releases these scooters for rent and places many of them around busy areas hoping for people passing by to rent one to travel (or scoot) around the city. It is hard pressed to not see at least one person zooming along the street or sidewalk on one of these devices.
The new law, mentioned above, aims to eliminate the problem of impaired people renting these scooters by making such an action punishable under Tennessee’s DUI laws. As this recent article on WKRN states, these electric scooters will be considered motor-driven vehicles. This language is important because under Tennessee’s DUI laws, the operator must be in physical control of a motor-driven vehicle to be arrested for a DUI. As we have discussed previously on this blog (and at our website- www.tndui.com), if convicted of a DUI you face some of the following punishments: mandatory jail time (up to 48 hours on a First Offense); fines; required attendance of a Drug Education Course and a loss of your Tennessee driving privilege.
Please remember that over this holiday weekend if you decide to enjoy the festivities in an area that allows for these scooters to be rented, please do not drink and scoot. You may find yourself being placed under arrest for a DUI! If you’ve been charged with Driving Under the Influence in Tennessee while on one of these scooters, operating a boat or while driving in your vehicle, please contact the Oberman and Rice Law Firm at (865) 249-7200. We are available 24/7.
Tennessee Highway Patrol Planned Checkpoint For Labor Day 2018
Posted by Arrin Zadeh in Boating Under the Influence (BUI), Breath, Chemical (Blood, criminal offense, DUI Penalties, Field Sobriety Tests, Frequently Asked Questions, Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test, Legal Rights, One Leg Stand Test, Tennessee DUI Checkpoints, Tennessee DUI Chemical Tests, Tennessee DUI Consequences, Tennessee DUI Information, Tennessee DUI Laws, Tennessee DUI News, Tennessee DUI Penalties, Tennessee Traffic Violations, Walk and Turn Test on August 27th, 2018
Motorists in Knoxville need to be mindful during the upcoming Labor Day Weekend while driving to the lake or local pools to celebrate the “unofficial” end of summer. Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers will be out in force this Labor Day weekend ensuring that motorists are not driving while impaired or committing traffic violations.
The 2018 holiday enforcement period begins Saturday, September 1, and will include a sobriety checkpoint at East Emory Road at Longmire in Knox County, Tennessee. Other checkpoints are scheduled throughout September for the East Tennessee area. For a list of all planed checkpoints in September please click here.
The DUI defense lawyers at Oberman & Rice are always willing to help those who may be falsely accused, but we’d prefer that the readers of this blog not place themselves in a position to be suspected of driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Please review our website for more information or call us with questions at (865) 249-7200.
Drinking and Boating
Posted by Sara Compher-Rice in Boating Under the Influence (BUI), TN BUI on May 25th, 2018
Like drinking and driving, the simple act of drinking and boating is not itself against the the law in Tennessee. However, operating a watercraft (boat) that is subject to registration in Tennessee while under the influence is a criminal offense. According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) the Memorial Day holiday weekend is one of the busiest boating weekends, as it is regarded as the unofficial start of summer. TWRA officers are sure to be patrolling the waterways to enforce Tennessee boating safety.
Boaters in Tennessee are prohibited operating a boat “while under the influence of any intoxicant, marijuana, narcotic drug, or drug producing stimulating effects on the central nervous system.” Tennessee Code Annotated § 69-9-217(a). Tennessee law further provides a per se BUI law, i.e. boaters cannot operate a vessel while having a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or greater. Tennessee Code Annotated § 69-9-217(j)(2).
Like a Tennessee driving under the influence charge, the issues and laws surrounding a Tennessee BUI can be complicated and technical. If you’ve been charged with Boating Under the Influence in Tennessee or have any questions about the offense of BUI, please contact the Oberman and Rice Law Firm at (865) 249-7200.
Additional information about Boating Under the Influence (BUI), as well as the related crime of Driving Under the Influence (DUI), can be also found on the Oberman & Rice websites at www.tndui.comand www.duiknoxville.com.