Seeing the flashing lights of a police cruiser can invoke fear in any driver. Many drivers think that they can be pulled over without a reason, but that’s not the case. Instead, police officers must have reasonable suspicion that a law is being broken.
In the case of a suspected drunk driver, reasonable suspicion is often met by the officer seeing signs of impairment. The signs that they see must be some that any reasonable person would agree can signal drunk driving.
What signs point to drunk driving?
While drivers can show different signs when they’re intoxicated, there are a few things that are fairly universal. These include:
- Driving out of the lane of travel
- Running through red lights or stop signs
- Failing to turn the headlights on in inclement weather or from dusk through dawn
These are signs of impairment, but there may also be other causes, some of which are medical. It’s up to the officer to determine what’s going on with the driver, so they’ll conduct an interview with the driver and possibly have them do a field sobriety test or take a chemical test.
If there’s probable cause that the driver is impaired, the officer will arrest them. This triggers the need for the person to work on a defense strategy. This should be based on the facts of the case, so it’s never suitable to use a one-size-fits-all strategy. Working with someone who’s familiar with these matters and who can assist them with getting their strategy set is beneficial.