As a car owner, you should know about what you should do when you get pulled over for a DUI. There are a few things that you should do and a few things that you should never do when being pulled over for a DUI.
Read on to learn more.
Find A Safe Spot to Pull Over
The first thing is related to the stop. When you are stopped by a police officer, don’t just immediately pull over to the nearest spot. Here is what you want to do: look around and look for a good parking lot to get into or a wide margin if you are on the highway.
You get the point: you want to find a good place to pull over. This aspect is not only for your safety or for the police officer’s safety but also because a good attorney is going to use this information to help begin to establish that you were acting like a sober person.
On that note, you need a good lawyer. So, if you reside in Las Vegas, get in touch with the Las Vegas DUI Lawyers if you get pulled over for a DUI by a police officer. The lawyer will always have your best interest in mind and ensure that your rights don’t get violated.
The lawyer can ask the police officer how you, their client, behaved and whether you behaved like a sober person by pulling over to a safe location. They might ask the following questions:
- Did my client drive safely?
- Did my client park where a good driver would park?
You get the point: all of these things will help to establish the fact that you were not intoxicated.
Remain in the Car
The next thing that you should do when getting pulled over by a police officer for a DUI is to stay in the car. It is astonishing how many people decide to get out of the car and either go confront the officer or just talk to the officer outside the car.
As a car owner, you should know that you don’t need to do that. It is a terrible idea to do so. As a rational person and as a good driver, you should always stay in the car, as the officer will feel safer, too. Also, you are going to have a better evening. Remaining in the key will also make you feel as if you are in control instead of getting frustrated over the fact that you just got pulled over by a police officer.
Always Be Polite
The thing about getting pulled over by an officer is that no one likes it. But – you should know that the officer is just doing their job, and officers have a hard job to do, which is why you should have no reason to be rude.
Now, this aspect doesn’t imply that you should be doing everything they want you to do. You absolutely shouldn’t be doing everything that an officer wants you to do. But almost the very first thing that your lawyer will ask an officer before going to a trial is whether or not their client was polite to the officer.
The thing is that if the police officer responds with a “Yes” to this question, then the chances are high that the lawyer’s negotiation with the prosecution is going to go well. If you happen to be rude to the police officer, then you will have a tough time later.
Show Your License and Registration
The next thing that you will do is to produce your license and registration. Many people wonder whether they have to produce a license and registration. If you are wondering about the same thing, then you should know that the answer is in the affirmative.
Here is the thing: Under almost every state’s law, you are obligated to provide the officer with your license and registration. It might be a good idea to provide them with your insurance papers, too. However, it is not actually required.
Most state laws require people to display their license and registration. Now, some people might tell you that the term display indicates that you can play smart and hold the documents up to the window so the officer can see the papers through the window. However, a lawyer would never recommend you to do so because it is a good way to start off the day very badly.
Behave like a reasonable person and just give the officer your license and registration. If you want to win your DUI case, you have to start by acting reasonably and rationally.
The Most Important Thing to Avoid When Being Pulled Over
There are a few things that you must never ever do if you want to win a DUI case. The number one thing is to stop talking. Now, this doesn’t mean that you can or should only say certain things to the officer or limit the things that you say to the officer. All you need to do is to close your mouth and don’t talk.
For instance, if the officer asks you whether you know how fast you are going – just don’t answer. When the officer asks you about your name, just show them or give them your license. You have to identify yourself as the driver, so do it.
No matter what you do – just don’t talk. Understandably, staying silent is a hard thing to do. To stay silent is specifically difficult when you think that you can be reasonable and rational. If you realize that the stop is DUI-related, you realize that the officer is pulling you over because he thinks that you are intoxicated – stop talking.
It is important to mention here that if you stop talking, it might not prevent you from going to jail that night. If the officer pulls you over and smells alcohol, you are definitely going to jail that night. So, by not talking, you are not preventing going to jail. But, this act is to help you when it comes time to trial, and your chances of winning go up 100%.