Documents Related To Your Vehicle

When you are stopped for dui, you are very much likely to be asked to show your driver’s license and other related documents, such as insurance policy and registration card. Make those documents readily available. If you have already missed those documents at home, you are into trouble. That is the reason why it is always advised to check whether you have these documents available in your vehicle before you drive. Besides that, you also need to make sure that your car is in good condition.

Field Sobriety Test

It is also important to note that submitting to the field sobriety test is legally mandatory for you when you are stopped for dui. In case of drunk driving you can talk to DWI Guys. Refusal to take the BAC (blood alcohol concentration) level test is considered as a serious criminal offence, which usually results in suspension of your driving license and other penalties, which may include monetary fines. These penalties are additional aside from first DUI charge consequences, which means even if you do not get convicted and the court dismisses all dui charges against you, the penalties for the refusal of field sobriety test will still be applicable.

Show Good Behavior

Even if you are 100% sure that you have not committed any dui offence, you must cooperate. Avoid any arguments with the traffic officials. Be courteous, calm and very polite while you are talking to them. If you don’t an officer could easily arrest you, charging you of violating several different laws. At that point you might need to call a company that provides bail bonds in order to be able to be free to leave so as to effectively build your case and defense. This is a considerably worst outcome than the alternative, so whatever your situation, make sure to be on your best behavior and cooperate with the officers present.

Double Check The BAC Level

If you are not drunk and the BAC level test when you are stopped for dui still shows a negative result, you have the legal right to challenge the result of the test. You can visit a nearby doctor’s clinic or hospital and take a fresh BAC test in order to see if the laboratory results are consistent with the result of the BAC test conducted by the traffic officials.

Answer Only Basic Questions

You have to be very careful while you are answering to the questions asked by the police. Answer only basic questions, such as about your name and address. It is very important for you to keep in mind that your answers might be used by the officials against you. If you are having trouble in answering some specific questions, you have the right not to answer those questions at the first place. You can instead let the officials know that you want a dui lawyer to represent you.

Do Not Argue

When you are stopped for dui, you should never fall into an argument with the officials, as it will only make things worse for you. Your arguments will give some solid reasons to the officials to arrest you or to place harsher charges against you.

Last, but not the least, it is better to remain silent than to tell a lie. Providing wrong or manipulated information when you are stopped for dui is a serious offence.

Do Not Receive Or Dial Any Call On Your Cell Phone

If you are stopped for a dwi or dui and the officer finds you talking to someone on your cell phone, they may get a wrong impression; for example, they may assume that you are not taking them or the traffic stop seriously. They may also assume that you are an “experienced” dui offender (have committed such offenses before) and so have now already started making arrangements in your defense. Even if these assumptions are against the reality, you may end up getting arrested for this. Therefore, it is often wise not to attend any call on your cell phone while you are being stopped. Hang it up if you are already talking to someone on your cell phone. You should call your lawyer when everything else fails and the officer arrests you and you can get the right one at The Hogle Law Firm in Mesa.

Don’t Ask Worthless Questions; Instead, You Must Co-Operate

When you are stopped for a dwi or dui, you must co-operate with the officer. Do not ask worthless questions, such as “is there any problem officer?” You very well know that there IS a problem and the officer has stopped you for a reason. The best thing you can do is to co-operate. Show your proof of insurance and driving license when you are asked to do so. If you are sure that you are not at fault, do not do anything that raises suspicion. If you do not co-operate and start fighting or become belligerent, it will only make things easier for the officer to file a dui charge against you.

Do Not Hide Alcohol Containers

If there are alcohol containers in your car, do not try to hide it. The officer is going to find it out anyway. Just because you have those containers in your vehicle does not mean that you are driving under the influence of alcohol.

Do Not Threaten The Officer

If you plan to hire a dui lawyer to defend yourself, do not threaten the officer about it. Keep your calm and be at your best behavior. It does not make any sense to get into any argument with the officer. The officers do it on a daily basis; they are used to such arguments; it is their duty. Therefore, a better strategy is to demonstrate your good behavior and still use your right to get legal assistance from traffic lawyers.

Overall, if you follow the above do’s and don’ts thoroughly, the outcomes are likely to be less severe when you are stopped for driving under the influence of alcohol or while intoxicated.

Watch The News On Television

As per the laws in the United States of America, it is mandatory for the law enforcement agencies to make an announcement before the event, disclosing the location or locations of dui checkpoints. News channels usually report such events in advance for the convenience of the general public. You can watch the news about it on television every morning and evening.

Read About It In Your Local Newspaper

Another effective way to get informed about sobriety roadblocks in advance is by reading announcements by law enforcements in your area in your local daily newspapers. Many newspapers have a dedicated section for this, but sometimes you can find the news in other sections also. It is also important for you to keep in mind that the news may also get published under alternative headings, such as dwi roadblocks, dwi checkpoints, or dui roadblocks.

Visit The Online Road Block Registry

You can also find news about dui checkpoints in your area on official websites of law enforcement agencies, such as the Road Block Registry, which is a dedicated online resource to inform the general public about the notices of sobriety roadblocks. You can find complete details here, including the time, the date, and the locations where such roadblocks are scheduled.

Give A Phone Call To Your Local Law Enforcement Agency

If you do not have much time to do all the research on television news, daily newspapers, or online resources, the best alternative is to give a phone call directly to the law enforcement agency in your area. Ask them if there are any dui checkpoints scheduled; If yes, when and where. However, it is entirely up to them to disclose or not to disclose such information. Still, it never hurts to ask.

Generally, sobriety roadblocks are scheduled between 9 pm and 2 am because it is during these hours when most people are not at work and the bars are open. It is also important to note that the US laws have provided you certain legal rights in this regard. For example, if you are getting late for work or just want to avoid such checkpoints, you can take the U-turn (if available) and drive in other direction. But, if you must face dui checkpoints, make sure you have all the papers available with you (such as insurance, registration, and driver’s license); it will make the process easier and faster.

Blood Alcohol Content

It is important to note that the legal provisions are updated regularly. Having an Atlanta dui attorney on your side will make sure that whatever actions you are taking to defend yourself are in line with the latest changes in laws. As of March 2010, if the blood alcohol content crosses the threshold of 0.08% while you are driving a vehicle, you may be arrested for a dui offense. Though the BAC level of 0.08 is applicable in most states, the laws in Atlanta are stricter in a sense that you can be arrested for a BAC level of only 0.05% also, especially when the police officers finds you driving a vehicle recklessly – the legal term is “perilously operating a vehicle”.

Suspension Of Driver’s License

The driver’s license may be suspended based on an array of factors, such as the BAC level, the severity of reckless driving, and previous dui records. It is important for you to keep in mind that the suspension of license does not wait for a final conviction in a criminal court. Your license may be suspended right at the time of a dui stop. 3-time offenders get their license suspended for at least 5 years, a second time offense results in 3-year suspension, and a first time offense may result in either no suspension of license or a one-year suspension. If you are found guilty of such offenses more than three times, your driving privileges are likely to be revoked. In such cases, the state may even seize your vehicle. Considering these harsh penalties, it is often necessary to have an experienced Atlanta dui attorney on your side to defend your case on your behalf.

Sentences

If you are convicted for the first time in a criminal court for a dui offense, you may have to spend 10 days to 12 months in jail. However, with the help of a lawyer, you can get the sentence reduced significantly, but at least 24 hours of jail time is must. If you get convicted for a second time, the jail term may range from 3 months to 12 months, out of which 3 days are compulsory.

The sentence for a third time conviction can be as long as 4 months to 12 months. Though an Atlanta dui attorney may help in getting the level of sentence reduced, you will have to spend at least 15 days in jail.