DUI Lawyer In Your Ear

If you were ever pulled over by a police officer after a few drinks, it would be great to have the advice of a DUI lawyer at your disposal. Most people only have time to stop themselves from panicking while others just feel horrible. It is essential that you understand your rights in this kind of situation in order to give yourself the best chance when your day in court comes.

Field sobriety tests happen to be a tactic that police officers use to gather further evidence against you, but most officers usually bring them out when they are pretty sure you are guilty. If you had a chance to speak to a legal representative they would inform you that you don’t even have to take a field sobriety test. Although it may lead to a breathalyzer when refused, the field sobriety one doesn’t have any refusal penalties.

In fact, there are three specific field sobriety tests that are approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and many states only approve the use of these three tests as evidence in their courts. A good attorney would recommend you demand they administer only these three ones. The Heel-Toe walk that everybody has seen on commercials and movies is the first. You walk in a straight line touching heel to toe as you go and then turn around on that imaginary line to walk back to the officer. 

The second one is the One Leg Stand, during which you must stand on one leg for an extended period of time without losing your balance. The third approved one is the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, which calls for a light to be shown into the suspect’s eyes as they slowly look to the left and right. Each of these tests utilizes an objective scoring system that counts mistakes and is therefore less susceptible to the opinion of the police officer. Only submit to those field sobriety analyses if you believe you can pass, otherwise an attorney would tell you to refuse to take them.

If you do refuse to take them, you will probably be forced to take a chemical test in the form of a breathalyzer, a blood or a urine test. You can refuse to take these tests as well, but you will have your license suspended for a period of three to twelve months depending on which state you get pulled over in. Even if you end up not becoming guilty of a DUI, you will still have a suspended license. In fact, some states will charge you with a whole different crime for refusal to submit to a chemical test, while others will add time to your sentence if the DUI charge sticks. 

Even though these repercussions can be debilitating to your ability to get to work and go where you need to go, it may still be worth the license suspension if you know your blood alcohol level is extremely high. If any legal representative was at the scene of the pull over, they would say that you basically had a choice between taking your chances with the DUI charge or avoiding this by refusing to be tested and accepting the punishment that comes along with it. At that point, the call is yours to make.