New Years Eve: the time of year when people from all over ring in the forthcoming year with joyous celebration and, of course, rampant partying. It should be no surprise that this holiday is considered the biggest drinking night of the year. As such, it should be expected that most people, in an effort to avoid the dangers of drunk driving and the dreaded DUI checkpoints are willing to book cabs or other commercial transportation to their various places of merriment and revelry. A popular taxi service is Uber: a taxi service making use of a smartphone app. The idea is that Uber is easier than obtaining a regular taxi service in a smaller city or town, and users can track when the car will arrive at their location. Undoubtedly, many people this past New Years Eve would elect to have Uber serve as their form of transportation. Unfortunately, they were met with surprisingly all time high fares for their drivers.

New Years Eve 2015 Uber Price Spike

Since New Years Eve is such a popular time for party goers to drink, it is a great night for taxi services. However, for users of Uber and other app-based taxiing services, the holiday can be devastating for their wallets. Some people seeking rides report prices of higher than $200, and according to one tweet that was circulated on Time Magazine, prices could skyrocket up to $2000 for just a brief ride. Uber did notify drivers of an increase in pricing due to the holiday, however, egregious price-gouging can cause unintended consequences for those who cannot afford the service's price spiking. If people cannot afford to get safe transportation, they will be more willing to take the risk of getting behind the wheel after having consumed alcohol.

Washington State suffers roughly 1921 deaths from DUI a year, and on average 2.1% of drivers report driving after having drank too much. No doubt, the revelry of New Years Eve contributes to a number of these statistics. With the holiday surge pricing many drivers would be left with no recourse but either to stay the night out somewhere or to get behind the wheel while intoxicated. Many times, DUI cases are not caused by a driver wanting to cause havoc and mayhem by getting behind the wheel while impaired, but instead by either overconfidence in driving ability, or desperation to get themselves and their vehicle back home. An honest mistake is no reason to face severe criminal charges that will cause potentially life-altering ramifications.

If you or a loved one ended up facing DUI charges this past holiday, do not hesitate to contact an attorney. First-time DUI charges can be negotiated and mitigated in order to avoid severe consequences. A skilled and experienced criminal defense attorney can be your best bet at negotiating different sentencing. Contact Steve Karimi today.