Females and DUI

Drunk driving enforcement has historically targeted men. However, the number of DUI arrests involving women has increased dramatically over the last twenty years. Twenty years ago, under 8% of the DUI cases prosecuted in the United States involved female defendants; in 1997, that number climbed to over 15%.

While sociologists may debate the causes for the increase, there are two obvious and significant factors to credit with this increase. First, there are more women driving now than there were in 1975. As the population of female drivers grows, so too does the number of DUI arrests attributed to women.

There are additional forensic issues that arise, relating to absorption and burnoff rates that are unique to women, and the way alcohol is distributed in the body once it is consumed. Alcohol loves to migrate to water within the body, and women generally have more water in their bodies than do their male counterparts.

As more and more women drink and drive, there will be an ever-expanding body of knowledge tailored to defending female DUI defendants. There is no question that women are entitled to equal rights under the law; it is now up to skilled drunk driving defense lawyers to ensure that they receive them.