Famous racecar driver Al Unser Jr., retired and taking his car on the open road for racing, and DUI, has pleaded guilty to his second DUI conviction. The Los Angeles Times has reported that Unser's 3-month jail sentence was reduced to a year of supervised probation.
Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, in response to the reduced sentence, has issued a statement calling for tougher prison sentences for celebrity offenders.
The DUI incident occurred on a stretch of a freeway in Albuquerque, New Mexico in September 2011. Unser pleaded guilty to DUI while drag racing – one day prior to his trial.
It was Unser's second DUI in a five-year period.
Unser, 49, won the Indianapolis 500 race two times before his retirement from the sport.
According to Unser's attorney, Sam Bregman, his client made his apologies for his error in judgment the night of the arrest. Bregman said that Unser is "taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Anna Duerr, the spokeswoman for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, in voicing her qualms with the reduced sentence said, "Celebrities and sports figures need to be treated just like any other driver. Whether it's New Mexico or anywhere else in the nation, drunk driving kills. Drunk drivers kill 10,000 people each year and injure 350,000. This is serious."
On the night of the arrest, according to New Mexico state police, they reported seeing a white 2011 Chevrolet Suburban, driven by Unser, racing with another vehicle. At approximately 3 a.m., officers noted that the vehicles were speeding over 100-mph in a 60-mph zone.
The vehicle Unser was racing against, a black sedan, made a getaway – avoiding police capture by weaving across other lanes. The other cars on the road had to hit their brakes hard to avoid impact with the sedan.
Due to the sedan's actions, the police were only able to arrest Unser. The driver of the other car remains unidentified.
Unser, smelling of alcohol and unsteady on his feet, allegedly told officers, "you caught the slower driver." His blood alcohol percentage was twice the legal 0.08 percent limit.
In Unser's earlier DUI-related arrest, a 2007 crash on a New Mexico freeway, he had pleaded no contest. Unser's blood-alcohol percentage proved to be three times the legal limit. Also, according to the police, he failed field sobriety tests.
In the 2007 incident Unser had his driving privileges taken away for 90 days, paid a fine and took classes on the dangers of drunk driving. His attorney in that case claimed that Unser was going to Alcoholic Anonymous meetings and had given up drinking.
Unser was famous for his wins at Indianapolis in 1992 and 1994, his father, Al Unser Sr., for wins in 1970 and 1971 and his uncle, Bobby, for wins in 1968, 1975 and 1981.
Contact a DUI attorney if you have been charged with DUI, DWI, OUI or OWI. The right attorney, specializing in DUI cases, will be the best person to represent you.