Ruling on Drunk Driving Case

A man who was found drunk in his car with the engine’s electricity on, but not the engine itself, can be convicted of drunken driving, the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled on January 25, 2011. One of the defendant’s arguments on appeal was that he was not operating the car when he put the key in the ignition and turned it. The Court ruled that turning the key was enough to allow a jury to convict him. The Court concluded that turning the ignition key was “the first step in a sequence to set in motion the motive power of the vehicle.”

Beware intoxicated people turning on the heat in a car and trying to sleep it off.