Seeing an officer approaching your car when you know that you have been drinking is a very frightening experience. The fear and confusion set in when you try to figure out that the officer might realize that you are drunk and arrest you immediately for drunk driving. When facing such a scenario, you might be forced to make uninformed decisions due to confusion and panic. But this is not the time to panic since it is the decisions you make that are going to determine whether you will get arrested or not.
The San Diego DUI Professionals advise to think critically before making any decisions to avoid making a mistake that will cause you to spend a few months of your life behind bars. Hence, this write-up is solely intended to give detailed tips on what to do when getting pulled over after having a few drinks.
1.Identify a safe place to pull over
When a police officer takes the step of pulling you over for drunk driving, he or she immediately starts making critical observations that will be used in the police report. According to Hart J. Levin, a top DUI expert in Los Angeles, the police report will have a great impact on the decision that will be made during your criminal trial. One of the preliminary things that the officer will take note of is how you pull over. Therefore, it is advisable to slow down gently and pull over to a safe location without showing any signs of being drunk.
2.Be polite
If you treat the officer in a respectful manner, there is a high chance of not being arrested. If you try to be hostile or rude to the officer, he or she will try as much as they can to get you arrested for drunk driving. Therefore, it is wise to follow all instructions that the officer gives you, if you are told to step out of your car, you should comply.
3.Do not lie
“In most cases if you lie, and the officer realizes it, the fact that you have said a lie can be used against you in a court of law,” said Brian McKlein from the OC DUI Experts. Though it is advisable not to answer any incriminating questions, if you answer a question, answer it truthfully. You do not have to rush at the idea of surrendering your license or registration to the officer even before you are requested to do so.
4.Refuse Preliminary Alcohol Screening Tests (PASs)
Hand-held Breathalyzer is very unreliable. The machine can be modified easily so as to give skewed results that could otherwise incriminate you. Therefore, it is advisable to consider taking a chemical test at the police station.