A drunk driving detention is one of the most scary experiences there are, if, for no additional cause, there are so many unknowns. Will the police officer assume you are hammered? Will you lose your driver's license? Will you need to go to jail? Could you maybe now have wasted thousands of dollars in legal fees and fines down the drain? All of these questions probably race through your head, and with justifiable grounds. Pay attention to the DUI Attorney Seattle Blog to learn more about what to do.
This post, hopefully, will make you a bit less afraid. Though you shouldn't drink and drive, if you find yourself in that spot, at least in Washington State (Seattle, Kirkland, Bellevue, Tacoma, Federal Way, Kent, etc.) this commentary is going to confirm you own the greatest chance of making it to your place out of harm's way. But remember, this data is not legal instruction. Ahead of making any choices that may possibly influence your legal rights or fate, please consult a Seattle DUI lawyer. Each occurrence is special, and you require a criminal defense attorney in Seattle to calculate your exact case to recognize precisely what to do.
There are a number of vital things you should appreciate about your conventional DUI stop in Seattle. First, the majority of the time you are not being pulled over on suspicion of DUI (according to the police officer). Even though it is 1:00 a.m. and he's out pulling you over for failing to utilize a turn signal, a DUI is not the actual explanation he's pulling you over (okay, so it almost certainly is, but it is extraneous here - if they've got a grounds to pull you over, they can). Assuming you weren't swerving all over the place or doing something in addition to make the officer think you were drunk, getting the encounter over as rapidly as doable is the ambition.
Getting it over represents three things: (1) act courteously; (2) say as little as achievable; and (3) when it appears as though the original stop is concluded, inquire if you may go so you can get to your house. Once the police officer pulls you over, he is looking for signs that you are drunk. We all are aware of what those are: glassy, bloodshot eyes; slurred speech; the smell of liquor. Try not to offer out those clues to the cop if doable (don't converse too much). The purpose is to stop the officer from establishing probable cause that you are criminal. Without that he is going to have a hard time detaining you.
Next, if he asks you to move out of the car, you can do so. However, if he asks if you'd mind taking a couple of field sobriety tests, now is where you must take a route different than that of a good number Seattle drivers. Courteously decline. You don't even need to give an excuse. In Washington State, you have the right to stay silent, to refrain from providing incriminating evidence hostile to yourself, including field sobriety tests. It prevents a lot of facts from being obtained that can be used against you later, and it is the reasonable thing to do. Nevertheless, be prepared, because it may get you ushered to the station for a breath test (if they take you, however, you were going anyway).
Now, here is the important part. The minute they say you are going to take a breath test, let the police realize you want to talk with a Seattle DUI attorney. As soon as you do this, more than a few things occur. First, the police cannot question you any more. And next, you get to talk to a DUI attorney in Seattle to figure out what you must do after that. And, no matter what time of day, an attorney is available (many Seattle criminal attorneys make themselves available for specifically such phone calls). And any Seattle criminal defense attorney ought to be able to lead you to a person who will answer the telephone. And if you don't know who to call, a public defender is usually on call, so even at three in the morning you'll have someone to chatter to.
From there on, you must really do what your Seattle criminal defense attorney says, as your particular state of affairs, counting any prior offenses, your profession, how much you've had to drink, and further things, can shape what you need to do moving ahead.
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Seattle DUI Attorney | Two Kinds
Seattle DUI Attorney | Don't Talk to Cops
