Most people who are arrested on DUI charges in New Jersey are arrested the same day they were drinking. Many times, the arrest occurs as they drive home from a bar or a social gathering where they consume alcohol. There may be cases where the drinking started the day before—for example, someone arrested at two in the morning on Saturday may have started drinking on Friday evening.
Once people go to bed, they typically assume that their chances of getting a DUI are over. In reality, though, you can still be arrested for drunk driving the next day. Why does this happen?
An elevated blood alcohol concentration
One key factor is how fast your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) decreases. As a general rule, BAC declines by about 0.015% every hour.
For someone with a high BAC, it could take a long time to return to zero. Even if their BAC was just barely over the legal limit at, say, 0.09%, it would still take an average of six hours to get back to zero.
There is no real way to speed this process up. People sometimes think that eating a greasy breakfast or drinking coffee will help. While breakfast may help alleviate a hangover and coffee might make someone feel alert—something people often mistake for feeling sober—neither of these actions lowers a person’s BAC. As a result, their BAC may still be higher than expected when they drive the next morning.
If you’ve been arrested on drunk driving charges, the ramifications can be serious. Be sure you understand your legal defense options.