Randy Babbitt, the chief of the Federal Aviation Administration, has resigned after he was arrested for DUI last week. Barrett was arrested in Fairfax, Virginia. Police pulled him over after they noticed him driving erratically. He was arrested, and charged with driving under the influence. It is the 2nd DUI offense for the ex-FAA chief in the last 5 years.

Babbitt has had an impressive career as an aviation safety chief since taking over the Federal Aviation Administration. However, that does not seem to have had any impact on the consequences of his DUI. The Department of Transportation has been focusing heavily on reducing the number of accidents caused by drunk driving. Babbitt's DUI arrest was undoubtedly an embarrassment to the Department of Transportation, and the resignation was, very likely, welcomed.

According to media reports, Babbitt did not inform Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood or the White House about his DUI arrest. Both the Obama administration and the Department of Transportation found out about the arrest through a police press release like the rest of us, which didn't make Babbitt look very good. Sec. LaHood found out about the arrest more than 36 hours after it happened, and has discussed his disappointment with this fact.

Not everybody is required to resign his or her job after being arrested for DUI. However, San José DUI attorneys find the case to be very different when lawmakers and public officials are involved in a DUI. It's even trickier in the case of a high-ranking transportation official like Babbitt, even though his job did not involve actual operation of a vehicle. In this case, Babbitt's impressive record with aviation safety reform, and his efforts to tackle a variety of problems including pilot and air traffic controller fatigue, has meant little.