Being pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving must be taken seriously. Police officers can’t pull you over without having a valid reason, so one of the first things you should determine is why they pulled you over.
The standard the officers must reach to initiate a traffic stop is reasonable suspicion. This means that the reason they pulled you over would be something that would cause a reasonable person to do the same thing.
What are signs of drunk driving?
There are many signs of drunk driving that officers will watch for as they patrol. Some of these are more common than others. They include:
- Weaving between traffic lanes
- Stopping suddenly or without a reason to do so
- Driving too fast or too slow for the current road conditions
- Failing to obey traffic signals or signs
- Driving on the wrong side of the road
Once the officer initiates the traffic stop, they’ll try to find out what’s going on with the driver. They may ask for a field sobriety test or a breath test to determine the blood alcohol concentration. This could give them the information they need to have probable cause, which is a stricter standard, to conduct an arrest.
Anyone who’s facing drunk driving charges should learn about the options they have for a defense strategy. Working with someone who’s familiar with these matters is beneficial because the consequences can be severe. Some defense strategies might be time sensitive, so don’t delay getting the process started.
