Recent Articles

Operation Safe Holiday 2011

Gerald B. McNamara
November 21, 2011 13:45

PennDOT and police are partnering again this holiday season for Operation Safe Holiday, which includes a "Click it or Ticket" enforcement push from November 18-December 4 and increased use of sobriety checkpoints between now and January 4.  This enforcement initiative also includes safety...

Pennsylvania Ignition Interlock Update

Gerald B. McNamara
October 19, 2011 15:15

On October 18, the Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee approved a new bill which would require ignition interlock devices to be installed in the vehicles of all first time offenders. The current Pennsylvania ignition interlock law does not require first time offenders to utilize...

Pittsburgh DUI Frequently Asked Questions

Gerald B. McNamara
September 22, 2011 20:29

Here are a few questions that I have recently been asked by clients and potential clients: 1. Do police need to know your Blood Alcohol Contration (BAC) to charge you with DUI in Pennsylvania? No, the police do not need to know your BAC to charge you with DUI. The most common scenario in ...

Pittsburgh Police Plan Weekend DUI Patrols

Gerald B. McNamara
July 29, 2011 17:59

Pittsburgh Police have anounced plans to conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving DUI patrols over this weekend, July 29-31.  The patrols will be concentrated in the West End and South Hills areas of the city. As always, the best ways to avoid a sobriety checkpoint or a roving DUI patrol are:...

Boating Under the Influence in Pennsylvania

Gerald B. McNamara
June 28, 2011 06:03

With the long Independence Day weekend coming up, boating season in the Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania area is in full swing.  This also means that Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission officers are patrolling local waterways looking for drunken boaters (BUI) and for violations of...

How Police Enforce DUI Laws: Part 1 - When the Vehicle is in Motion

Gerald B. McNamara
May 23, 2011 16:18

According to a pamphlet produced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are 24 driving cues that may predict that a driver's BAC is .08 percent or greater. These cues are divided into four categories: Problems in Maintaining Proper Lane...

Preliminary Breath Test - PBT

Gerald B. McNamara
May 10, 2011 04:59

I get asked many questions about the preliminary breath test, or PBT, so I want to try and answer some of the more common ones here.   1. What is a preliminary breath test? A preliminary breath test, or PBT, is just another field sobriety test.  The officer asks the driver to blow into a...

Pittsburgh DUI - What is a Free Consultation

Gerald B. McNamara
May 09, 2011 21:05

Many attorneys who practice DUI or criminal law offer a free consultation.  What exactly is a free consultation?  To me, it means that I welcome your call and will gladly talk with you over the telephone or in person, without charge, with no time limit, day or night, weekday or...

Public Shaming for DUI

Gerald B. McNamara
February 28, 2011 19:22

"Driving drunk may lead to Facebook shaming" reads the headline.  A city council person in Huntington Beach, CA has sponsored legislation to post the mug shot of anyone arrested for DUI more than once in Huntington Beach.   The council person was quoted as saying, "If it takes...

The Deadliest Holiday

Gerald B. McNamara
November 25, 2010 00:02

According to PennDOT, Thanksgiving is the deadliest holiday for vehicle crashes.  Statistics show that over the 2009 Thanksgiving weekend, there were 4,500 crashes and 41 fatalities.  As a result, this year PennDOT is partnering with state and local police between Thanksgiving through the...