If you are suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol during a traffic stop or car accident, you could be charged with a DUI. This can have far-reaching effects such as suspended driving privileges, having to pay a hefty fine and potentially facing jail time.
In the event you find yourself in this situation, it’s important to know your rights. Here are some tips on what to do:
Understand Your Rights
On the occasion a cop requests that you take a field sobriety test, it is your legal right to refuse the test. Florida law doesn’t require citizens to take a test upon an officer’s DUI suspicion. Normally, cops identify certain behaviors as indicative of drunk driving such as drivers making wide turns, driving much slower than the speed limit, veering from lane to lane and braking repeatedly for no reason. Though they might have the suspicion based on your behavior, it doesn’t mean you need to provide further evidence to support those claims.
DUI Involving Accidents
If you are headed home and are involved in a car accident after consuming alcohol or an impaired substance, it’s vital you stay at the scene of the accident. Fleeing from the scene will only result in you facing even more serious charges and the loss of your driver’s license. As you survey the scene, check to make sure everyone is okay. If there are any injuries, call 911 immediately. It’s also important to be as careful as you can as to what you say to others who were in the accident or witnessed it. If you say something that could be defined as admitting fault and witnesses hear you saying it, you make it easier for the prosecution to mount its case against you.
Contact an Attorney ASAP
If you are charged with a DUI, it’s important to seek legal advice as quickly as you can. This will provide your DUI attorney with plenty of time to gather all the information necessary to present an effective defense strategy. Feel free to call Steinberg Law, where we offer a free, one-hour consultation during which we will examine details of your case and share with you what your legal options will be moving forward. Our attentive approach ensures you gain confidence in knowing you have a sharp legal team defending you.
