What To Do In A Tampa DUI Arrest

It’s unfortunate just how often our natural instincts can lead us astray. It’s even more unfortunate that police officers exploit our instincts to make us provide them with more evidence. With that in mind, it’s important that you learn the proper way to handle a DUI traffic stop in order to best protect yourself if you later end up going to court. While a good Tampa DUI attorney will help defend you no matter what happens during your arrest, by following these steps, you’re giving them the biggest possible advantage at your trial.

A Tampa DUI Lawyer Advises:

Only pull over when it’s safe. Most people see flashing police lights and immediately want to stop wherever they are in order to accommodate the police officer. If you’re in a safe area, this is fine. However, if you’re in a poorly lit area with a soft shoulder, it is better to slow down and acknowledge the police officer, but wait until you find a safe spot to stop. If you pull over in a dangerous area, the officer will immediately question your ability to make sound decisions.
Don’t explain or excuse yourself. When pulled over, many people have the tendency to explain themselves. Unfortunately, police officers rarely take this information to heart and excuse the actions; they instead use the information as evidence for later. By saying that you are ok and only had a few drinks, you’re providing the officer with proof you did have alcohol before you drove. Your Tampa DUI lawyer will have a much easier case when the police officer has no verbal evidence of your intoxication. Of course, always be polite to the officer as well.
Say no to on-location tests. Police officers often prey on a suspect’s fear of arrest in order to get them to do what they want. One of the most common examples during DUI stops is their tendency to threaten to arrest you if you do not submit to a field sobriety test and a portable breathalyzer test. Unfortunately, they rarely mention they’ll probably arrest you even if you take the tests. You are not required to take the tests and doing so only hurts your drunk driving defense in Florida.
Provide your chemical sample. Whether it’s a blood or breath test, you are required to submit to a chemical sobriety test once you’re in the police station. These tests are legally required and refusing to take them will not help your case in any way. The best thing to do is provide a sample and hope your Tampa DUI attorney can prove the test was invalid or that your stop was illegal.
Ask to speak with an attorney. You’ll rarely be permitted to contact your lawyer as soon as you request him; but by asking to call The Law Offices of Mark A. Lizzer, you’re asserting your legal rights and strengthening your DUI case.