Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or other drugs may call for a traffic stop. The police study drivers’ behaviors to spot drunk ones. They need reasonable suspicion to stop a driver. After which, they will carry out the required procedures to confirm if they are intoxicated.
Below are three things you should not do in such a situation.
1. Answer all questions
During the stop, the police will ask you questions. While cooperating is vital, you don’t need to answer all questions, as you may incriminate yourself. If the police ask if you are intoxicated or what you’ve drank, you can tell them you are not comfortable responding to that or another equivalent polite answer.
2. Refuse the Breathalyzer test
The Georgia Implied Consent Law requires drivers stopped by the police with reasonable suspicion of intoxication to submit to a chemical test. Refusing to do so may lead to a license suspension for one year and other potential penalties.
Thus, it will be best to allow the police to administer the test. If you don’t want the roadside test, you can ask for one to be administered at the station. Breathalyzer tests can be inaccurate – the results from your tests are not indisputable. You can challenge them in court to defend yourself.
3. Take the field sobriety tests
Georgia’s Implied Consent Law only applies to chemical tests. This means that Field Sobriety Tests (FSTs) are voluntary. Thus, you can choose not to do them. However, it will help to perform them because a refusal may work against you when defending yourself in court. Further, you can always challenge an FST’s results.
If you are charged with a DUI, consider getting legal guidance to protect your record and driver’s license.