You Need A Good DUI Defense

If you’ve been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, you need a good DUI defense right away. Some people think that this isn’t a very serious offense because they figure everyone drives home after a few cocktails, right? Wrong! This is not just an offense; it is a crime and one that can land you behind bars. If you’ve overestimated your sobriety and gotten behind the wheel, you could be in for big trouble. Many people stop for a couple of glasses of wine or a pitcher of beer with their buddies and don’t feel drunk. In fact, they may feel great or better than ever. Unfortunately, even one cocktail can impair a person’s driving ability depending on their size, weight and metabolism. If you’ve been imbibing at all, get a designated driver, call a cab, take a bus, walk home or stay at your friend’s house overnight if that’s where they party was. Just don’t get behind that wheel! But if you make the mistake, and do drive under the influence, you’re going to need a competent lawyer and an excellent DUI defense. Here are some ideas:

- No witnesses to you actually driving: In some states, a person must be seen actually driving. If there are no witnesses, this may be a viable defense strategy.
- No reasonable suspicion for pulling you over and arresting you: Police officers must have some sort of tipoff that something is wrong if they pull you over and make charges. If not, this impropriety can make the arrest unlawful.
- Field sobriety tests must be administered appropriately: Field sobriety tests are also referred to by their initials FSTs. Some examples of FSTs include one leg stand, horizontal gaze nystagmus, and walk and turn. Certain stipulations must be upheld such as the person can’t be older than 65 years, can’t be more than fifty pounds overweight, can’t be wearing extremely high heeled shoes, can’t have a disability that impairs walking and can’t have any balance problems. Agreeing to these tests is voluntary although further consequences can occur if the driver refuses them.
- Didn’t read Miranda Rights: Reading a motorist his or her Miranda Rights is a law. If the arresting officers forgot to do this, the case may be thrown out.
- Didn’t offer chance to have lawyer present: It’s a person’s legal right to have legal representation.
- Breathalyzer test improperly administered: If police administered the breathalyzer test incorrectly, this skews the results and can be a defense strategy.
- Medications can give faulty blood test results: Certain medications can make a blood test result appear positive when it’s not.

If a motorist makes the mistake of getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, disastrous results can occur. Someone can be hurt or even killed on the road due to this situation including the driver, passenger or another driver. If a motorist is arrested for drunk driving, it can mean loss of drivers’ license, jail time, and sky high insurance rates. Having a solid DUI defense is the driver’s only hope.