(Newswire.net — September 14, 2016) — A big part of college life is developing independence as well as getting an education. Often, that can involve experimentation that can get you into trouble.
Too often, college students learn the hard way about the dangers of drunk driving: for their physical health, the safety of other drivers on the road, and their future career. A drunk-driving incident can become a permanent stamp on your record that’s hard to expunge when you’re searching for a good job later in life.
Getting pulled over for drunk driving may be one of the most confusing and nerve-wracking experiences you could have in college. Maybe more than trying to pass your exams.
How do you behave? What are your rights? Will you need a lawyer? In the event that you’re pulled over for drunk driving, this is what you need to know.
Don’t Drive Drunk
First of all, stay off the road if you’ve been drinking. When you go out with friends or have a nightcap, make plans ahead of time for how you’re going to get home, whether that means taking a bus or bringing a designated driver. You and everyone around you will be much safer and happier if you stay off the road when you get into an inebriated state.
Find a Safe Place to Pull Over
If you make the mistake of driving drunk, you need to handle the situation appropriately. If you see the flashing lights, immediately look for a safe place to pull over. Get completely off the road, if possible.
This is very important. If you can demonstrate that you can park the car appropriately on the side of the road, that may well reduce the legal impact.
Move Slowly
Ultimately, you want to avoid making any sudden movements. The law enforcement official may interpret a sudden movement as reaching for a weapon. The officer’s first instinct will be self-protection, and if the official believes you’re reaching for a weapon, he or she may pull out a firearm and arrest you on the spot.
Keep Your Mouth Shut
If you don’t talk, you won’t provide any ammunition that can be used against you in court. If an officer asks if you’ve been drinking, simply reply that you have nothing to say.
Hand over your license and registration without comment, and don’t tell the officer where you came from. It’s not illegal to withhold information during a traffic stop, and your silence could help your case.
Be Polite
Along with keeping quiet about the situation, be polite. Don’t insult the arresting officers, no matter what they say to you. Say please and thank you; treat everyone with respect. You’ll be treated much better if you’re nice.
Decline Field Tests and Hand-held Breathalyzer Tests
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to do everything an officer asks of you in this situation. Though you should stop the car and get out if requested, you don’t have to perform any field sobriety tests or breathe into a hand-held breathalyzer. If the officers ask you to do either, politely decline.
Cooperate At the Station
If the officers choose to arrest you and take you to the station, you’re required by law at that point to submit to a chemical sobriety test. Most states allow the option either to have blood drawn or to breathe into a breathalyzer.
It’s better to do the breath test because inaccuracies are more common with that than with blood tests, which can be useful for your case.
Document the Experience
When you get home from the station, try to remember everything that happened and write it down. This includes the amount of drinking you actually did, where you were traveling, the location of the traffic stop, how long you were detained, whatever you said to the officer, if and when your Miranda rights were read, and anything else.
Your DUI lawyer will find all this information useful in handling your case.
Contact an Attorney
It’s extremely difficult to fight a DUI charge on your own. You need an experienced attorney who knows your rights and can mitigate the penalties for your actions.
You don’t want one mistake to ruin the rest of your life, and a good lawyer can help you get through it.