We have a holiday coming up in Missouri, the 4th of July, and usually, around the holidays, I get asked many questions about open containers and what you should and shouldn’t do.
Obviously, I have a criminal defense firm, and that’s because people do get DWIs. So I have to say this: if you want to avoid a DWI charge, just don’t drink and drive.
But let me tell you that I have talked to many police officers, and those officers operate under the philosophy of, “you don’t go fishing in a dry creek.”
That means they’re not patrolling for DWI arrests at two in the afternoon on a Tuesday. They’re patrolling for DWI arrests from 11 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. because that is when people are out drinking and driving.
So I tell my clients, don’t do anything stupid. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t have open containers in the car. But if you do something stupid, don’t do it downtown between 11 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. because that’s when the cops are looking for you.
In Missouri, cops are allowed to do DWI checkpoints, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have 32 cops swarming downtown all at once or officers driving all around the north side of Springfield.
You don’t go fishing in a dry fishing hole. Police are looking for you. So as the holiday approaches, don’t do something to call attention to yourself.
Don’t be driving down the road, shooting fireworks out of the side of your car. Because when that happens, people get pulled over. Be responsible; have a designated driver. That is the best way to avoid a DWI. Because they are looking for you, and eventually, they will get you.