Do DUI & DWI Laws in Florida Only Apply to Cars Trucks & Motorcycles?
DUI laws apply to moving vehicles. Cars, of course. Trucks, of course. Motorcycles, yes. I'm a motorcyclist. I ride every week of my life, and I can tell you this, we don't ride with people who drink and drive. But the fact of the matter is, if you're driving a boat and you're intoxicated, you can be charged. There's even cases where people riding horses in public ways who have been charged with DUI, because it's very, very, very dangerous. I know of cases where people who had ridden their horses into the street, got hit by a car, and caused serious, serious injury to the driver of the car and to themselves, as well as to the horse. So, the fact of the matter is, if you drink and are on any conveyance or even an animal, yes, you can be charged with DUI and it's serious. It's no joking matter. I can tell you this. I've represented people who have been charged with DUI while driving a boat and people who were killed. I had a case in the Keys where somebody was driving a boat, was accused of killing his friend when they hit a mile marker, and the friend went into the mile marker and died. It's extraordinarily serious. And here in South Florida, boating DUI is a common occurrence, and it's very, very serious.
By
Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A.