Las Vegas is one of the greatest tourist attractions in the United States, and this reputation was not earned due to its sedate entertainment. With its many casinos, bars and other entertainment emporiums it is a magnetic attraction for those who like to have a good time. Unfortunately, this “good time” often involves excessive consumption of alcohol. While everyone is aware of the hazards of driving after consuming alcohol not everyone chooses to heed these warnings. Every year there are numerous individuals who are caught driving under the influence in Sin City.

There are many methods by which an officer may determine that an individual is driving after having consumed excessive quantities of alcohol. These include roadblocks, suspect behavior (erratic driving, inability to stay in a lane, reckless driving, etc.) or viewing an individual obviously under the influence getting into a vehicle and driving away. It is important that the officer determine that you were actually driving under the influence; they cannot cite you for it if you are simply seated in an immobile vehicle. If you are suspected of driving under the influence you will be asked to participate in either a blood or breathalyzer test in order to determine your blood alcohol content. A blood alcohol content of greater than .08% is considered to be “under the influence”.

Once the officer has determined that you were, in fact, driving under the influence your license will be confiscated and you will be issued a seven day, temporary license. This allows you to contest the officer’s accusation that you have committed a crime. It is important that the moment you are accused of driving under the influence you contact a good defense attorney, preferably one with experience in alcohol-related driving offenses. There is nothing to lose from requesting that a hearing take place to determine the suspension of your license; at worst the license will be suspended for the full ninety days (if you are a first time offender), and in the best case scenario the judge will rule that you are not subject to license suspension. Once a license has been suspended the driver may request that a restricted license be issued after the first forty five days that will allow the suspect to drive to and from work. Following the ninety day term the driver will have to appear before the DMV and request a new license, paying all associated fees.

Keep in mind that the consequences of a first time DUI are vastly different if the consequences included injury or death to another individual. At this point it becomes a felony offense, punishable by an extended stay in a state prison facility.

With the proper knowledge a tourist can find almost anything in Las Vegas. Here is home to some of the greatest casinos in the country, offering to tourists the opportunity to make or break their fortunes on a role of the dice. Visitors to Las Vegas are also able to go see shows the like of which would be scorned in most of the countries in the Midwest. Is it possible to imagine a Las Vegas showgirl in her rhinestone bikini and feathered headdress out on the plains of Minnesota or climbing the Rockies in Colorado? Even in the more liberal minded areas of the east coast such extravagance would be frowned upon. No, Las Vegas has a flamboyance that is all its own. Everyone who has the privilege to visit this city walks away feeling a little more free spirited than they were when they walked in.

Gambling and visiting the various other entertainment emporiums geared towards the adult population are not the only attraction in Las Vegas, however. There are art museums and children’s attractions, theaters and music clubs. It is possible to find something for everyone on the Las Vegas strip.

There are some things to look out for when visiting the city. Las Vegas streets are awash with pickpockets, particularly at night. Anyone visiting the city should take care to keep their hands on their bags at all times, and avoid carrying one if at all possible. All tourists should be advised not to keep all of their assets in one place. By carrying their money and traveler’s cheques in their shoes and socks as well as dividing them between their various pants and coat pockets (and by never carrying all of the money they have on their person) the chances of a vacation being devastated by a pickpocket are greatly lessened. Never drive under the influence in Vegas, as it will result in an immediate fine, loss of driving privileges and either community service or jail time, depending on the severity of the offense. These consequences pertain to out of state visitors as well as the local population-Nevada does not discriminate. Finally, tourists should never carry more money into a casino than they can afford to lose. Gambling fever has teeth, and does not especially care who it is it bites. Many people have found themselves regretting the night’s indulgence in the hard light of day; however, by following these simple steps it is possible for anyone to thoroughly enjoy their stay in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is an area unlike any in the world, and well worth the time for the enterprising tourist who is seeking to gain a complete view of exactly what it is that has made the United States great.

Unfortunately, they often find themselves having a bit too good of a time. Every establishment on the Las Vegas strip serves alcohol to its patrons that are over the age of twenty one, and there are many that take this as an excuse to imbibe far too freely before attempting to drive themselves home. Hundreds of DUIs occur in Las Vegas every year as drivers are too careless to think to the consequences.

What are the consequences of a DUI? There are some obvious ones. Drivers under the influence of alcohol have slower reaction times and consequently are more likely to be responsible for accidents which result in bodily harm to themselves and the other parties involved. This also results in damage, sometimes irreparable, to their vehicles and the property around them. In addition, everyone who is found guilty of driving under the influence in the state of Nevada will find themselves facing fines in excess of three hundred dollars, jail time or community service and loss of driving privileges.

All things considered being found guilty of a DUI in Nevada is an expensive proposition. These consequences are generally not as far reaching as the effect that being found guilty of a DUI will have on a person’s insurance rates. As with a traffic accident or speeding ticket an individual who is found guilty of a DUI can expect their insurance rates to increase exponentially and stay that way for years. If this is not a first offense drivers may find themselves dropped by their insurance company altogether and forced to obtain high risk insurance, an undertaking that can be more expensive than attempting to purchase a new automobile. As every state requires that drivers carry at least some form of insurance, simply going without is not an option if a driver wishes to continue to operate their vehicle legally.

Driving under the influence is a much more expensive proposition than simply buying the drinks and the gas to get home. Prior to taking part of the delights of the Las Vegas strip visitors should carefully consider how they are going to get themselves back home. It is not a crime to drink alcohol, simply to operate a vehicle after the fact. Anyone who chooses to enjoy all the city has to offer should have a back-up plan for the end of the evening that does not involve them getting behind the wheel of a car.

Much like Mexico what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. This is not, unfortunately, always the case. There are a few things that the unaware should be very careful of when visiting the city. First and foremost, the casinos. There have been many individuals who have found themselves drawn to Las Vegas’s promises of riches and lost a fortune on a roll of the dice. Never take more to Las Vegas than you can afford to lose. Casinos are in no way a sure thing, regardless of what anyone would have the inexperienced gambler believe. Unlike horses there is no way to predict the outcome of a turn of the cards, and many have found themselves without the money to pay their rent that month because they made the mistake of thinking otherwise.

Secondly, never carry money where it can be seen. Anyone visiting Las Vegas should avoid carrying a purse or a backpack, if possible, and never carry all of their money in one place. Las Vegas is home to all types, and this includes pickpockets. There are people walking down the street who will appear the epitome of courtesy as they open a door or step to side while happily relieving the unsuspecting tourist of their entire vacation fund. They make a living out of this, a good one, and are not at all discriminating about who they are stealing from. While credit cards can be canceled and charges disputed cold, hard cash and traveler’s cheques are a bit harder. A tourist roaming the city, particularly at night, should never carry all of their money on them, and what they do have should be divided between their coat and jacket pockets, their undergarments (this is for women, who have long made a practice of hiding money in their brassieres) and in their socks and shoes. This way if they are robbed they will not find themselves completely without resources.

Finally, although it sounds like common sense it is essential that tourists not find themselves upon the Las Vegas city streets after having freely imbibed in the alcohol that is available in almost every establishment. The state of Nevada has no patience for those caught breaking its laws, and this includes its rules with regards to driving while under the influence. Anyone caught driving under the influence of alcohol will immediately find their license suspended, and if they live out of state will find their driving rights in the state of Nevada revoked. This can be highly inconvenient, as it generally makes it very hard to get home when a tourist cannot drive from Vegas to the Nevada border. In addition, Nevada immediately charges all of those found driving under the influence with a steep fine, and requires all persons found guilty to complete either jail time or community service, depending on the severity of the offense.

All of these consequences are a steep price to pay for a vacation’s worth of entertainment; however, with the proper precautions every tourist can safely travel over the Nevada border and enjoy the unique experience that is Las Vegas.

This weekend Frank decided he was going to do something a little bit different. Frank has never been to Nevada. He’s never been off of the East Coast. As a matter of fact, Frank has never been outside of New York State. He’s going to leave New York this weekend though. This weekend he’s going to go to Vegas. He figures he has it covered. He’s an investment banker. He knows all about taking calculated risks. He figures he should be able to hit the Vegas casinos, triple his investment and add a nice chunk on to his retirement fund. Frank boards the plane leaving the New York Airport and settles back in his seat with a book on IRAs, looking forward to his relaxing vacation in Las Vegas.

Frank steps off of the plane and looks around. He can’t believe his eyes! Everywhere he looks he sees slot machines. There are red slot machines and green slot machines, purple slot machines and orange ones. There are ones that light up and ones that don’t. There are some in neon and some without. Anxious to get started tripling his investment Frank picks up his luggage, then proceeds to cash in one of his traveler’s cheques for quarters so he can play the slots. While Frank is playing the slot machines a man comes up to him with a martini on the tray. Compliments of the house, he says. Frank happily takes the martini. It’s perfect. Not being much of a drinking man, he begins to stress slip away from his body almost immediately. As this is precisely what he was looking for on this vacation he decides to have another. Then another.

By the time he is ready to go to his hotel he has lost seventy five dollars at the slot machines and consumed four martinis. He feels a buzzing in his head, and life suddenly looks a lot better. He picks up the keys to his rental car from the woman at the desk, who is looking at him funny. She apparently decides there is nothing wrong with him, however, and allows him to go out to the parking lot and get his rental car. Frank drives his car off the lot and starts down the road that the map says will take him to his hotel. The car is swaying from side to side in time with the music, and Frank decides to sway along with it.

From out of nowhere comes a car full of kids heading straight toward Frank and his dancing car. Frank jerks the wheel to bring the car to his side of the road, but it is too late. Frank hits the car full of teens and knocks himself unconscious. He wakes up in a hospital bed to find himself looking into the eyes of a fierce looking police officer. The officer informs him that his rental car has been totaled, two of the kids in the oncoming car were killed and Frank now faces a jail sentence of up to twenty years in one of the state prisons because driving under the influence and causing injury or death to another person in a felony in Nevada.

Was his trip to Las Vegas worth the consequences? Frank certainly doesn’t think so.

The last thing that an individual wants to do is be convicted of driving under the influence in Las Vegas, particularly if they are on their vacation. No one especially wants to spend their vacation looking at the world from the inside of a prison cell. In order to avoid being convicted of such a crime there are many alternatives to getting behind the wheel of a car when one has had too much to drink. The most that answer is that when traveling to one of these establishments one should always travel as part of a group, and appoint one member of that group to be the designated driver. This person is one who will stay sober throughout the course of the evening and will be able to safely drive everyone home. A word to the wise: alternate the designated driver on every expedition. Less resentment builds up that way.

If traveling in a group is not an option then it would be wise for an individual to either elect to abstain from alcohol consumption over the course of the evening or to patronize only those establishments which are within walking distance of their hotel. While there are certainly enough taxi services operating in the city of Las Vegas that an individual would eventually be able to find alternate means of transport home, this would result in said individual being forced to leave their vehicle in a public establishment until they are sober enough to return for it. This is not a highly recommended idea in a city as filled with transients as Las Vegas.

Wildenstein is that almost everyone has a recommendation for attempting to beat the Breathalyzer tests when stopped by an officer who suspects them of driving under the influence it is more prudent for a driver to simply avoid being stopped at all. The methods listed above are the most tried-and-true methods to avoid facing the consequences of driving under the influence when on vacation in Las Vegas.

Driving under the influence means that you have been caught driving with a BAC of greater that .08% What is a BAC? BAC in an individual’s blood alcohol content, or the percentage of their blood that is alcohol. This is determined by use of either a breathalyzer test or a blood test. A breathalyzer is a device which will determine the alcohol content of a driver’s breath and use this to calculate the alcohol content of the individual’s blood. (A driver’s breath generally contains 1/2300 of the alcohol that is found in an individual’s blood). This allows an officer to ascertain whether an individual has imbibed what may be considered an excessive amount of alcohol prior to getting behind the wheel of a car without having a waiting period.

Another method of determining a driver’s blood alcohol content is to ask them to submit a blood test. This will require the individual to have their blood drawn by a medical professional in the presence of an officer of the court to have it tested for alcohol. This is generally a more lengthy procedure, and because of the time that must inevitably elapse before an individual’s blood can be drawn this is much less accurate when determining the level of alcohol the driver had in their system when they were actually operating a vehicle. For this reason a breathalyzer will almost inevitably be the method used to determine whether a driver is fit to operate a vehicle.

Why .08%? Alcohol is a depressant, which is why so many people use it in an attempt to “relax and unwind”. What this also means is that an increased amount of alcohol in a person’s system will greatly slow down their reaction times. While this is not a big deal when the individual is sitting at home it can be fatal if they are behind the wheel of a car on a busy highway. As a result, professionals have determined that a BAC of .08% is the maximum amount at which an individual’s response times are considered normal enough that they are safe behind the wheel of a car.

Driving under the influence means that an individual is not able to safely operate a vehicle, and may be a hazard to themselves and those around them. For this reason the legal system is particularly hard on those they consider to have broken their laws with regard to alcohol consumption.

You have the right to have an attorney present. This is valid at any time; if you do not wish if the police cannot administer a Breathalyzer test or a blood-alcohol test out your attorney present. Bear in mind, however, the refusal to submit to police testing if you are not in fact driving under the influence will hurt you when your case goes to court.

The arresting officer must read you your Miranda rights. This is non-negotiable. As a citizen of the United States, you are not required to give any evidence which will incriminate yourself. The arresting officer must inform you of this and for other rights at the time of your arrest; it does not apply if they do this afterwards.

When making an accusation of driving under the influence, the arresting officer must be able to prove that you were inebriated at the time you were behind the wheel and actually operating the vehicle. Remember, it is not illegal to consume alcohol, only to drive after having done so.

The arresting officer must be able to prove that they had valid cause for their suspicion that you were driving under the influence. This generally means that you were engaging in erratic driving behavior, such as being unable to stay in a designated lane, driving recklessly or attempting to evade an officer of the law.

Upon being arrested for driving under the influence of first thing that you should do is contact an attorney. The attorney will be able to advise you on what your rights are and help you decide whether you should plead guilty to the charges or not. Remember, it is possible to contest an accusation of driving under the influence. Your attorney will be the one to walk you through this process. When selecting an attorney be sure that it is one who has had some experience with cases involving driving under the influence. Due to the very nature of Las Vegas there are plenty to be found within the city; one has only to look

In Nevada, a license suspension is almost impossible to avoid (although if you hold a driver’s license that was issued in a different state the Nevada DMV cannot take your license. They will instead suspend your rights to drive in the state of Nevada). The moment the officer ascertains that you are driving under the influence they will take your permanent license and issue you a temporary one that will be good for only seven days. Over the course of that seven days your attorney must appeal the decision and request an administrative hearing. This hearing will decide whether the suspension will be revoked or if it is a permanent one.

Driving under the influence also carries with it a possible jail sentence, particularly if this is not your first offense. A good attorney with an in depth knowledge of the Nevada legal system will be your best friend when attempting to avoid an extended prison sentence. There are many alternatives to a jail sentence, such as community service and probation, and while these are more readily available to a first time offender it is possible that with a good attorney a second time offender may be able to take advantage of these. Be forewarned, per Nevada state law a third DUI offense is considered a felony punishable by a stay in the state prison system.

It is also important to be familiar with proper protocol when an officer stops and tests a person whom they suspect to be driving under the influence. There have been many criminals who have returned to the streets due to an officer not following proper procedures. Did the officer inform you that you have a right to have an attorney present when you take your breathalyzer or blood test? Were you informed that it is your right to not take a blood or breathalyzer test? A good attorney should be familiar with these proceedings, and will probably question you extensively as to the officer’s actions. Do not leave anything out; this could be the most important building block in your case for freedom.

If you find that you are unable to avoid jail time altogether take a look at the options available. In some cases a judge will allow you to break up your sentence into several smaller ones in order to allow you to continue your employment. If this is not a possibility, remember that the legal system rewards good behavior. Chances are good a date for a parole hearing will be set, at which time the judge will evaluate your actions since you arrived at the facility and determine whether you are eligible for early release. Keeping your nose clean until this time will greatly increase your chances of being able to walk out of there a free man (or woman) prior to having completed your full sentence.

While this seems like a good idea there are some definite drawbacks. Along with the inevitable problem of attempting to pull out and drive through the massive crowd of traffic attempting to fight its way along on the streets at any given time in an attempt to get to their desired location, drivers must also find methods to resist the temptation of the alcohols that are stared in the various entertainment establishments along the strip. Las Vegas is not for those individuals who have not yet reached the majority (the agent of 21). Almost any place that people will go to spend money for an evening of entertainment will make available to them a myriad of different types of alcohol. By the time an individual is finished expanding their education as to the different types of alcohol across the world it is entirely possible that they will be too foxed to drive themselves home.

This presents an entirely new experience for those who have not had the pleasure of negotiating a rocket ship through a field of asteroids while at the same time attempting to slurp gummy worms up their nose. Approximately the same level of coordination is required, and an individual who has partaken to freely of the cocktails of the evening will not be able to do it. They will find themselves involved in an automobile accident, which will lead to them being charged with driving under the influence, losing their license for a specified period of time (this period of time will be decided by an officer of the court when the case is brought before them) and paying fines in the triple digits. In addition, they will find themselves having to pay an attorney for their services and possibly even a jail sentence. Nevada has no sympathy for those who choose to disregard its traffic laws, and those individuals who are foolish enough to think that they can beat the system are often quickly apprised otherwise.