We’ve all seen the following scene play out on TV: On the side of the road a car is parked, the headlights lights still left on. The driver is out of the vehicle, standing on the shoulder of the road, while an officer instructs them to stand on one foot or touch their...
Evidence that can lead to a DUI arrest and conviction
You were pulled over by a police officer on suspicion of DUI. You "passed" the Breathalyzer test, registering lower than .08 percent blood alcohol content (BAC). However, the officer arrested you anyway. How is that possible? Officers are trained to identify a...
Boating under the influence can have serious consequences
Now that spring is finally making its way to Maryland, many residents are planning their first boating excursion of the year. While for some people, having a few beers or a glass of wine is part of a day out on the water, if you're the one operating the boat, you have...
How can you challenge Breathalyzer results?
If you're pulled over for suspicion of driving under the influence and your blood alcohol content (BAC) registers as .08 or higher on the Breathalyzer, you may think that you have no chance of fighting the charges against you. However, that's not necessarily the...
Can you be arrested only for failing a sobriety test?
After you get pulled over, the police make you run through a series of field sobriety tests. These could include the walk-and-turn (WAT), the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) and the one-leg stand (OLS).You fail the one-leg stand and the walk-and-turn. You argue that...
Field sobriety tests for marijuana impairment aren’t here yet
As marijuana is increasingly legalized for medicinal and recreational use around the country, law enforcement agencies are struggling to find methods to show that a person has been driving under the influence of the drug.Attorneys have argued for and against the...
What happens if you decline to submit to field sobriety tests?
When most people are pulled over by a law enforcement officer for suspicion of DUI, their impulse is to submit to any field sobriety tests and preliminary alcohol screening (PAS) test, such as a Breathalyzer, that officers ask them to take. Many drunk drivers don't...
What if you’re physically unable to perform field sobriety tests?
When police officers pull over a driver whom they suspect of driving under the influence, they generally administer a few field sobriety tests, in addition to having the driver blow into a Breathalyzer or similar device.These standard field sobriety tests involve...
Field sobriety tests are hard even when you’re sober
Field sobriety tests are designed to be tough when you're drunk. If you fail, police take that as reasonable suspicion that you're intoxicated, and they can arrest you.The problem is that the tests are often hard to pass even if you've had nothing to drink. While...
What is a Passive Alcohol Sensor?
If you're one of the many Baltimore residents who drives into Northern Virginia regularly or even occasionally for business or other reasons, it's important to know about a tool that Fairfax County police have to help determine whether a driver has been drinking. You...