Can You Get A DUI on Private Property?

Many folks arrested for drunk driving are found off the highway, often on some private lot or property.  The question arises whether the law requires that the driver be on "the highway" or public property in order to be in violation of VC 23152 DUI.  According to Matthew Ruff, a DUI Attorney in Torrance the Courts settled this issue finding that a private property arrest is perfectly OK.  The Court said: There is no question that the drunk driver is an "extremely dangerous" person who obviously poses more danger when he or she drives on public streets and highways and encounters the general public in greater numbers. However, regardless of any subjective legislative intent, the objective intent of the Legislature as derived from the language of the pertinent Vehicle Code provisions is that a person who is driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is always a threat and the purpose of DUI statutes is to prohibit those "extremely dangerous" persons from driving anywhere in California.