Dallas DUI Lawyer, DWI Attorney, Drunk Driving Defense in Texas

Memorial Day Drinking Safety Tips

admin — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:47:58 +0000

The Memorial Day holiday is a chance for people to get together, respect veterans, and celebrate. It is also the unofficial start to summer, when you should remember not to mix hot weather and alcohol! The usual Memorial Day holiday plans involve grilling for the family, or going boating, or even simply relaxing. Additionally, many Memorial Day holiday plans involve drinking. We encourage you to enjoy your holiday safely, which is why we have provided the following Memorial Day drinking safety tips for you.

Tip One: If you plan on drinking many alcoholic beverages back-to-back (about five or more) over a short period of time, then you need to understand the risks. Drinking several alcoholic beverages quickly can lead to alcohol poisoning, which is what happens when the blood’s level of alcohol increases to dangerous levels. We would like to encourage you to drink slowly and perhaps even reduce your number of drinks. If you get alcohol poisoning, you can become unconscious and your breathing can slow down, decreasing oxygen to the brain and body. If you vomit while unconscious, you can even choke to death on your own vomit. If you or anyone you know displays any of these symptoms after drinking alcohol, make sure that you or they get medical attention immediately.

Tip Two: Drinking on a holiday to celebrate or relax is perfectly acceptable. However, you must remember that police will have a much greater presence on the roads over the weekend since they know that many people will be drinking and then driving. If you plan on driving this weekend, remain sober. Nearly half of all motor vehicle accidents involve alcohol and that number increases significantly round holidays, meaning that Memorial Day weekend is especially dangerous. So if you are considering drinking, make sure that you are drinking responsibly. Get a designated driver or just stay the night wherever you are celebrating. Remember to know your limit and plan ahead.

Tip Three: Memorial Day weekend usually means barbeque. If so, it’s a great idea to eat food before and while you drink. Additionally, make sure that you are sipping your drink. It’s better to slow down and enjoy the quality of your drink rather than quantity. It is also a good idea to skip a drink occasionally and substitute it with a non-alcoholic drink so that you can moderate your intake. Another way to moderate your intake is to keep a glass of water with you while you are drinking, so you can sip on it in between sips of your alcoholic drink. Lastly, keep track of how many drinks you are consuming.

Tip Four: If you are somewhere you are not familiar with, be wary of unfamiliar drinks. They can have more alcohol than you know in them or be tainted with a drug. Never accept a drink from someone you don’t know. When ordering a drink at the bar, watch the bartender make your drink so you can know how much alcohol you will be having. And remember that alcohol and sex do not mix. Be wary of how much you’ve had, and always respect the rights of individuals around you.

If you do drink and drive this weekend and are arrested for a DWI, then you’ll want an experienced lawyer. Experienced lawyers can help reduce the consequences you will have to face. Contact us today!

Problems With Mixing Alcohol and Hot Weather

admin — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:23:16 +0000

While a cold beer on a hot summer’s day (especially a Texan hot summer’s day) might seem like a great idea, it can actually be very dangerous. In fact, mixing any type of alcohol and hot weather can be a problem. Some people like to float rivers with cases of beer in their floating coolers, and others like to relax by the pool with a margarita, we have to remember that mixing alcohol and hot weather can lead to problems such as heat illness and accidents. Just like alcohol affects men and women differently, it can also affect you differently if you’re in hot weather versus cool weather.

Many people drown because they are too drunk to swim. Boating accidents also often occur because of drinking. People can fall off and drown, or get hit by the propeller, or suffer major trauma. Drinking and driving boats can lead to DWIs as well as death or injury. In fact, alcohol is a major factor in deaths associated with water recreation. Alcohol interferes with balance, coordination and judgment. However, these effects are heightened by sun exposure and heat. So even if you don’t have much to drink, you can still be at risk for some serious side effects. This is why you have to be careful when mixing alcohol and hot weather.

If you’re going to drink then you need to drink responsibly. There are ways to calculate your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in order to determine your level of intoxication. Remember that in the USA, 0.08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is legally defined as drunk and is therefore the limit. When you are drinking in hot weather, you must be careful because you can reach your limit much faster than if you were drinking in cooler temperatures. At 0.08 BAC, alcohol’s effects on your speech, vision, balance and reaction time make it nearly impossible for you to steer a boat or swim safely.

Alcohol increases the risk of injury because it impairs your judgment. Additionally, you lose your inhibitions, which can lead to reckless behavior and reckless behavior often creates problematic situations. Alcohol impairment can make people misjudge swimming distances, how cold the water is, and when it’s safe to operate a motor vehicle.

Lastly, an added risk during all forms of hot weather activity is heat illness. You’re much more likely to get heat illness if you are mixing alcohol and hot weather. Since alcohol is a diuretic (meaning it promotes dehydration), it can mess with your body’s ability to regulate its own temperature.

While we may think of ourselves as invincible, particularly as Texans, when it comes to hot weather, we simply aren’t. Hot weather is already dangerous since it can cause problems like skin cancer, overheating, dehydration, heat illness, etc. Adding alcohol in extreme temperatures simply increases your risks.

For additional tips on drinking during on hot weather, check out how to drink safely in the summer. If you do get a DWI from boating and drinking, or drinking and driving, you will need experienced lawyers to help you. Contact us today.

Photo source.

Why You Should Hire an Experienced DWI Attorney

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:59:02 +0000

When you’re arrested for a DWI, there’s a court process that you have to go through. Preparing for court can be difficult, especially if it’s your first time and you don’t know what to expect. You can either hire an attorney or have one appointed to you by the court. Hiring an attorney that specializes in DWI court cases can be extremely beneficial for you! Read on to learn why it is better to hire an attorney than to use a court appointed one.

Individuals who can’t afford lawyers may be appointed an attorney by the court. In some cases, private practice lawyers are assigned to defendants and are paid by the court. Unfortunately, since they are paid by the court, they usually are paid significantly less than what they would bill an actual client. Since they are paid less, the often do not work as hard as they would if they were privately hired, meaning that clients may not receive the extra care and attention that they need. Court appointed attorneys are also chosen at random, so an individual may get one who has no experience or is not familiar with the related legal issue (like a DWI). While it may seem that court appointed attorneys are free and thus the cheaper option, they don’t necessarily deliver a free service. If the defendant is found guilty and is put on probation, the probation terms may require that he or she reimburse the county for the attorney fees.

When you opt for the cheaper option, you often get cheaper service. There have been many individuals who have been forced to plea bargain by their attorneys in order to rush through the system. Others have been misrepresented due to the lack of knowledge and experience of the lawyer.

Quality, well-structured, affordable legal services are hard to come by. In most cases, you get what you pay for when it comes to free legal aid. Thus, sometimes you need to hire an attorney rather than have one appointed to you. This way, you are involved in the process of choosing your attorney and can therefore establish a better relationship. You need a qualified, knowledgeable, and experienced DWI attorney to help you in the legal process. In particular, when dealing with DWI cases, you need to be able to have an attorney that has a lot of experience in cases dealing with DWIs. In fact, if you have been arrested for a DWI then you need an aggressive DWI Trial Lawyer who knows how to get results; in the end, results are what matter.

If you have been arrested for a DWI, then contacting a lawyer should be top priority for you. You should retain a lawyer who devotes the majority of their practice to defending DWI cases. No lawyer can give you a guarantee on the outcome of your case; however, retaining a lawyer who concentrates on DWI defense will maximize your chances of being found Not Guilty. If you need such a lawyer, contact us today.

Important Facts about DWIs and Insurance Rates

admin — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:52:19 +0000

While you may know what happens when you get pulled over for a field sobriety test, or what you should do to prepare for trial, you may not realize how much a DWI conviction will affect the rest of your life. For example, a first DWI conviction can cause your insurance premiums to go up by thousands of dollars, and may even force you to be insured by a different insurance company. In Texas, prior DWI convictions stay on your record (and can be counted against you when you are being sentenced for another DUI/DWI offense) for good. Note that an earlier version of this law had a 10-year limitation, but even if a defendant’s prior convictions occurred when the prior version of the law was in effect, prior convictions can still be used under the current law. Read on to learn about DWIs and insurance rates.

However, if DWI drivers want to continue driving when they get their licenses back, they are required to maintain liability coverage on their Texas car insurance policy and submit proof to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). The requirement is achieved through liability limits of 30\60\25 ($30,000 per person limit and $60,000 totals for all persons and $25,000 for property damage). This is also satisfied with one combined single liability limit for bodily injury and property damage of $60,000. These limits are the same financial responsibility for all Texas drivers.

Texas DWI insurance and SR22 filing process to reinstate license are generally the last steps before convicted persons regain their driving privileges.

DWI Insurance Texas Requirements

The Texas state required SR22 is the name of the form used to document and submit proof of this required insurance (30\60\25) to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). A family car insurance quote and any other type of cheap TX car insurance with or without an SR22 still must satisfy Texas financial responsibility requirement and maintain these limits.

DWI Texas insurance cost

The State does not collect a fee to file form SR22. Insurance companies do collect a fee for filing SR22 typically anywhere from $0 to $50; however, Texas collects a $1,000 annual fine for 3 years from their convicted drivers. This is a small additional fee compared to the fine Texans have to pay to their State. The additional insurance premium associated with the Texas DWI insurance comes from the removal of safe driver discounts, surcharge points, and unfavorable rate tier placement.

Texas SR22 Form

The Texas SR22 form includes identifying information of the DWI driver such as their name, Texas drivers’ license number, residence address, and birth date. The Texas car insurance company information required is name, NAIC number (code), policy contract number, SR-22 case number, and the effective date of the certificate. Naturally, a signature from an authorized representative, and the date the certificate was prepared completes an SR22 car insurance Texas policy.

Completed SR-22 forms that are filed with Texas’ Department of Public Safety must be on a “hard copy” and mailed or brought. Purchasing a policy does not instantly update the Department of Public Safety Records as the actual physical form is required.

An SR-22 filing is required for two years from the date of the DWI conviction. After the form arrives at the DPS, the Texas driver’s license is eligible for reinstatement. There are no limitations on the operator’s license after reinstatement other than maintaining the required form on file for two years. Failure to maintain compliance during the required period will result in driver license and vehicle registration suspensions. All companies must inform the DPS if a policy of SR22 car insurance Texas becomes inactive for any reason.

If you are worried about the costs of a DWI conviction, you need to make sure you have a talented and experienced DWI lawyer. In any case, a talented DWI lawyer can usually get the punishments lowered or help you to not be convicted. If you have been arrested for a DWI and would like the help of an experienced DWI lawyer, you should contact us today.

Things to Know about DWI Costs

admin — Wed, 08 May 2013 23:21:58 +0000

DWI costs can be outrageous. In addition to bail, legal fees, and fines, you might lose wages from your work for the time you have to take off to go to court. These are simply part of the consequences of a DWI arrest. Texas DWI penalties are some of the strictest in the country. DWI costs can certainly be problematic for your wallet.

Feeling overwhelmed after a DWI arrest is completely normal. You should contact attorneys who specialize in Texas DWI law since that will ease your mind. An experienced attorney can help eliminate some of your DWI costs depending on details of your case. Avoiding conviction in your DWI case is a key factor in avoiding the overwhelming amount of DWI penalties and expenses. Although you will need to incur legal fees to achieve this, your attorney’s bill will be far smaller than the amount of money you will be expected to pay following your DWI conviction.

Texas Department of Transportation’s Drunk Driving Fees:

Bail: $185-$5,000

Attorney fees: $275-$10,000

Court Costs: $25-$1,500

DWI fine: $2000 *first offense*

(Second offense garners a $4000 fine and a third offense a $10,000 fine)

Course in alcohol education: $25-$185

Fee to keep drivers license: $3120 ($1040 a year for three years)

(Surcharge by Texas Department of Public Safety)

Total: $9,000-$24,000 (for a first time offense)

Factors that Affect DWI Penalties

Because each county in Texas administers its own court fees, these amounts will vary depending on where your DWI arrest takes place. Fines and bail may also fluctuate depending on any previous record the accused may have and the District Attorney’s recommendation. If another person is hurt or killed due to the direct result of your drunk driving, expect additional DWI penalties and costs to incur. Expect to pay a fine of up to $10,000 even for a first offense. Intoxication assault and intoxication manslaughter are much more complicated cases than straightforward DWI cases. Therefore, in addition to stiffer fines, additional court costs and legal fees will accumulate.

Finding Help to Reduce the Fees

Finding the right Texas DWI lawyer to handle your case will be an important step in controlling the total costs of your DWI arrest. Many DWI lawyers offer free DWI consultations, so you can begin to understand the legal process and your rights without any up front legal fees. After your DWI arrest, passing through the legal steps swiftly will ease your financial burden. With the help of your attorney, a speedy DWI process can mean less time away from your job and a smaller amount of lost wages.

If you or your loved one who has been arrested for DWI is considering not hiring an attorney due to fear of the legal fees, you must consider the costs of a DWI conviction. If there is any chance that legal counsel will prevent a DWI conviction from striking your permanent record, the legal costs incurred will be overshadowed by the lifetime of benefits a clean record can provide. If you need an attorney specializing in DWI law, you should contact us today.

Photo Source.

What You Need to Know about Refusing a Breathalyzer Test

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:39:33 +0000

There are several things about DWI stops that people don’t know or don’t understand. One of the more frequently asked questions concerning being pulled over for a DWI in Texas is whether or not you have the right to refuse a blood or breath test. People want to know if you have to take one and they often want to know what happens when you refuse a breathalyzer test. Read on to learn about what happens when refusing a breathalyzer test, and check out how breathalyzers work in DWI stops.

Implied Consent

Texas’s “implied consent” law means that if you are lawfully arrested by a police officer with enough probable cause to believe you were driving while intoxicated, then you consent to taking one or more chemical tests of blood or breath to determine your blood alcohol content (BAC). Learn about what they look for in DWI stops here. It is actually required by Texas law to take a blood or breath test if you are arrested for a DWI, and the test must be taken as soon as possible from when you were last driving. The officer gets to choose which test (blood or breath) you take. Once you submit to the officer’s test, however, you have the right to have a blood test taken within two hours of your arrest by a medical professional of your choice.

Refusing to Take the Test

You may refuse the test, but if you are arrested the officer must tell you and give you notice in writing that if you refuse to take a test, then evidence of your refusal can be used against you in court and your license will be suspended for at least 180 days. The officer should also tell you that if you decide to take a test and the results show that your BAC is above the legal limit, then your license will be suspended for at least 90 days. After explaining these consequences, the officer can ask you to take a test. It is your choice to refuse or not.

If you decide to refuse, the officer will have you sign a statement that says he/she warned you of the consequences of refusal, asked you to take a test, and you refused. Then the officer will take your license. In its place, you will get a temporary permit that is good for 41 days. Within the first 15 days, you can request a hearing to challenge the suspension of your license. If you do not request a hearing, or if you do but fail to prove that the officer did not have a reasonable belief that you had driven drunk or that you actually did not refuse a test, then your license will remain suspended for 180 days if this is your first refusal. For your second/subsequent refusal within ten years, the suspension will last for two years.

Generally, an officer cannot make you take a test if you refuse thought there are some exceptions. For example, you must take a test if your current arrest involved an accident where someone else was seriously injured or killed. In addition, you will have to take a test if you have had two prior DWI convictions or if you have had only one prior DWI conviction but there had been a child in the car, or someone was seriously injured or killed.

If you have been arrested on a DWI charge in Texas, you’ll need help from experienced DWI attorneys, like us. Contact us today!

Photo source.

Two Track your Drinking Apps

admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:54:44 +0000

Nearly everyone these days has a smartphone, like iPhones and Androids. While there are plenty of ways to track your alcohol consumption, one of the easiest is through track your drinking apps for your smartphone. In particular, if you have an iPhone or an Android, or just want to learn about what kind of apps are available, read on to learn about two apps that can track your alcohol consumption or can attempt to determine your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) to help you avoid a DWI. We strongly encourage you to always be safe and get a designated driver if you are going out drinking, but these two apps can be extremely helpful, regardless.

iPhone App

One of the more popular apps available for the iPhone is the BreathalEyes© app. It detects and analyzes Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN). Nystagmus is an involuntary jerking or bouncing of the eyeball that occurs when there is a disturbance of the vestibular (inner ear) system, or the oculomotor control of the eye. HGN refers to a lateral or horizontal jerking where the eye gazes to the side. Alcohol consumption hinders the ability of the brain to properly control eye muscles, which causes the jerk or bounce associated with HGN. The greater your impairment, the more pronounced the jerking or bouncing of your eye. HGN is actually one of the tests performed by officers when they’ve pulled someone over for a DWI. HGN can reliably and effective indicate alcohol impairment, but it is not accepted in every courtroom as proof of intoxication. BreathalEyes© uses HGN to approximate a subject’s BAC. It allows the owner to test anyone at any time. Remember that everyone reacts differently to alcohol and that test results would be for reference only. Conditions could be affected by high altitude, age, sex, interaction with medications, weight and height. Thus, while BreathalEyes© may be a good reference, it should not be the only thing you rely on when making decisions. Always drink responsibly.

Android App

AlcoDroid© is an alcohol consumption tracker, drinks diary, and BAC calculator. AlcoDroid© helps you to understand what you are drinking, and can help you change your drinking habits. It can also track the costs of your drinks as well, if you want to know how much you are spending on alcohol. AlcoDroid©, based on the amount and type of drinks you’ve logged will attempt to provide an estimate of your BAC. It can also plot your BAC development in a chart to indicate when you get above or below the legal limit, or back to zero. AlcoDroid© also allows you to show, edit , and export your drink logbook. You can chart your drinking habits by day, week, or month. Using this app, you can display and export daily, weekly and monthly alcohol consumption statistics. You can set a drinking goal and see if your drinking matches the goal you set. You can even setup your own list of “drink presets” to log your drinks quickly. Additionally, you are able to pin your most frequently used drinks to the main screen to log your drinks by two clicks. Lastly, you are able to share your status and BAC chart on Facebook, by e-mail etc. Like the BreathalEyes©, you should remember that everyone reacts differently to alcohol and that test results would be for reference only. Conditions could be affected by high altitude, age, sex, interaction with medications, weight and height. Thus, while AlcoDroid© may be a good reference, it should not be the only thing you rely on when making decisions. Always drink responsibly.

If you do get pulled over for a DWI, then you need professional lawyers with experience to help you tackle your case. Contact us today!

Photo Source.

Tips for Safe Drinking On Your Graduation

admin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:33:25 +0000

The end of April usually means that finals are fast approaching, but after finals is graduation. Many college students celebrate graduating with their Bachelors, Masters, or even Doctoral degree by going out with friends and family. Typically, these graduates will go to a restaurant to celebrate, and they will usually consume alcohol. There’s nothing wrong with partying or celebrating your graduation, but we have a couple of safe drinking tips to make sure that you enjoy your night safely. If you do end up drinking on graduation, make sure you understand the signs that indicate you are intoxicated. Read on for safe drinking tips.

Eat first.

You may not realize it, but this rule is extremely important. Your small intestine is very efficient at absorbing alcohol, but your stomach is very inefficient. If you eat a good meal before you begin drinking, then the pyloric valve between your stomach and the small intestine closes off to keep the food in the stomach for digestion. The valve can stay close for up to six hours. If you eat a big meal that has high fat content before you drink, then the alcohol you consume will be absorbed slowly. Your BAC (blood alcohol content) will remain low, and you will become intoxicated much less quickly than otherwise. If you drink on an empty stomach, then it is likely that your BAC will rise very quickly and you will become inebriated very quickly.

Be well hydrated.

Alcohol interferes with the mechanism that regulates the water levels in our body. Alcohol reduces how much anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) that you make, which means that it increases how much urine you produce. While you should make certain that you drink plenty of water before you start drinking any alcohol. The more alcohol you drink, the thirstier you feel. Having plenty of water in your system will keep you from feeling thirsty and you will drink more slowly. Drinking slowly is the best way to enjoy alcohol and avoid blacking out or passing out. Remember that drinking water while you’re drinking alcohol isn’t the same as drinking the water beforehand.

Plan your transportation.

While it is okay to drive to a drinking event, you should make sure that you have a backup method of getting home. Walking or using public transportation is the most sensible method to use if you need a backup plan. If you drink at a friend’s house, you may even arrange to sleep over and leave when you are sober in the morning. Do not drink on impulse when your only means of getting home is driving. If you plan to ride use public transportation it is a good idea to travel with a friend for added safety. There may be times that you think you’re safe to drive when you’re not. You should learn what alcohol does to your ability to drive.

Travel in pairs.

It is always a good idea to have a good friend at your side when you participate in a drinking event. Friends can help keep each other safe when riding public transit. For example, if one falls asleep the other is there to safeguard them. Pickpockets, muggers, and sexual predators all target the intoxicated. Merely being male does not safeguard one either. Having another person at your side is the best way to discourage these people from taking advantage of you.
If you do end up getting a DWI, feel free to contact experienced lawyers today.

How Breathalyzers Work in a DWI Stop

admin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:12:49 +0000

When you have been pulled over for a DWI, it is important to stay calm and remember what usually happens during a DWI pullover. Officers may perform a field sobriety test. Some may have you blow into a breathalyzer for the DWI stop. A breathalyzer is a device that measures how much a person has had to drink (or their blood alcohol concentration) based on their breath. If you blow below the legal limit, which is 0.08, then you probably will not receive a DWI. If you’re wondering about Breathalyzers, such as why they’re used in testing and how they work, we’ll tell you all about it!

Why Test

Alcohol that a person drinks shows up in the breath because it gets absorbed from the mouth, throat, stomach and intestines into the bloodstream. Alcohol is not digested upon absorption, nor chemically changed in the bloodstream. As the blood goes through the lungs, some of the alcohol moves across the membranes of the lung’s air sacs (alveoli) into the air, because alcohol will evaporate from a solution — that is, it is volatile. The concentration of the alcohol in the alveolar air is related to the concentration of the alcohol in the blood. As the alcohol in the alveolar air is exhaled, it can be detected by the breath alcohol testing device. Instead of having to draw a driver’s blood to test his alcohol level, an officer can test the driver’s breath on the spot and instantly know if there is a reason to arrest the driver.

How it Works

The Breathalyzer uses a chemical reaction involving alcohol that produces a color change. To measure alcohol, a suspect breathes into the device. The breath sample is bubbled in one vial through a mixture of sulfuric acid, potassium dichromate, silver nitrate and water. The principle of the measurement is based on the following chemical reaction:

The sulfuric acid removes the alcohol from the air into a liquid solution.
The alcohol reacts with potassium dichromate to produce: chromium sulfate potassium sulfate acetic acid water

During this reaction, the reddish-orange dichromate ion changes color to the green chromium ion when it reacts with the alcohol; the degree of the color change is directly related to the level of alcohol in the expelled air. To determine the amount of alcohol in that air, the reacted mixture is compared to a vial of unreacted mixture in the photocell system, which produces an electric current that causes the needle in the meter to move from its resting place. The operator then rotates a knob to bring the needle back to the resting place and reads the level of alcohol from the knob — the more the operator must turn the knob to return it to rest, the greater the level of alcohol.

Now that you know how breathalyzers work, you should make sure that you contact experienced lawyers if you are pulled over and have to take one! If you’re currently searching for a DWI layer, you should contact us today.

Photo Source.

Four Frequently Asked Questions Related to Police Procedures During DWI Stops

admin — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:04:18 +0000

Many people are curious about how they should handle a DWI stop. They often have questions about the nature of the stop, the police procedures, and what their rights are. In past posts, we’ve discussed what you need to know about your Miranda Rights, common police officer errors, and procedures you should follow when you are arrested. There are many other questions that we have not addressed, four of which we hope to address today. The four commonly asked questions related to police procedures during DWI stops are addressed in this post. As always, if you have further questions you should contact us today!

1) What do police officers look for when trying to find drunk drivers?

Police officers look for drunk drivers on the roadways especially close to holidays, since a lot of drinking occurs over holidays. Usually, police officers attempt to determine whether the driver being observed is impaired by watching the way they drive. Based on research by the National Highway Traffic Administration are the following criteria that hint at a drunk driver:

Turning with a wide radius
Straddling center of lane marker
Almost striking object or vehicle
Weaving
Swerving
Speed more than 10 mph below limit
Stopping without reason in traffic lane
Following too closely
Drifting
Tires on center or lane marker
Braking erratically
Driving into opposing or crossing traffic
Signaling inconsistent with driving actions
Slow response to traffic signals
Stopping inappropriately
Turning abruptly or illegally
Accelerating or decelerating rapidly
Driving with headlights off

Speed is not on the list because people who speed often have heightened awareness in the form of quick judgment and reflexes, and therefore are not considered suspicious of being impaired.

2) When stopped by the police, should I answer any questions regarding drinking?

Amendment V of the United States Constitution protects citizens from self-incrimination. This means that American citizens are not required to answer questions that are designed to be incriminating. Your responses to a police officer will vary depending on the situation. To err on the side of caution, you should request to speak to an attorney before answering any of their questions. Keep in mind that have a few drinks does not necessarily mean that you are intoxicated, but officers will be listening to what yo say and will be recording it.

3) What signs of drunkenness do police look for after stopping a citizen on the roadside?

Police training classes teach police officers to look for the following signs of drunkenness:

Flushed face
Red, watery, glassy or bloodshot eyes
Odor of alcohol on breath
Slurred Speech
Fumbling with wallet while trying to get license
Failure to comprehend officer’s questions
Unsteady of feet while exiting vehicle
Swaying while standing
Leaning on car for support
Being combative, argumentative or jovial while talking with officer
Disheveled clothing
Lack of awareness in regards to time and place
Unable to follow police instructions.

Be aware of your actions, and make sure that you watch what you drink.

4) Do citizens have a right to an attorney when they are stopped for a DWI investigation?

You do not need an attorney when stopped for a DWI investigation unless you are arrested. If you are arrested for a DWI, then you have the right to an attorney, and you should make sure that you pick a good, professional one. Essentially, once the police officer reads you your Miranda Rights, you should not say anything and you should ask for an attorney immediately.

If you have further questions, you should check out our FAQ page.

Photo Source.