Getting Pulled Over DWI

[guids]

[ QUOTE ]
" pull over onto a side street, lower my window, put my keys on the dash and my hands on the wheel."

is this standard procedure, especially the keys on the dash thing? i don't think ive ever turned my car off when pulled over before.

[/ QUOTE ]


I shut the car off and put my hands on the dash, 90% of the time the convo goes:

Officer: Thank you for putting your putting your hands in plain site etc, but I clocked you at 70mph in a 55.

Me: oh ya, np, leiutenent. blah blah told me I should do this if I ever got pulled over to put your mind at ease.

Officer: oh, ya? you know leiutenet. blah blah? well, slow down next time

me: thanks. seeya.

[neuroman]

[ QUOTE ]
I think they're just trying to ask as many questions as possible to see how you respond, so they can better determine how drunk you are.

[/ QUOTE ]
That's definitely the impression I got--trying to give me some rope that I could hang myself with.

[doubLe a tom]

You lucky bastard.

I was at a little party last Saturday, and me and a couple friends decided to go visit another friend of ours at their school, which was about 40 minutes away. I was drinking already so I didnt want to drive, but I allowed one of my friends to drive my car. So we get up there and me and 2 of my friends split up with everyone to go meet some other people. Somehow, I ended up getting seperated from everyone... and of course my phone dies.

Now, I'm all by myself and have no idea where the [censored] anybody is, and have no way of contacting them. So being the great decision maker I am, I decide I'm going to drive home.

I get off campus, pull onto the highway. I was unfamiliar with the roads, and accidently crossed the dotted line thinking it was a one-way road, quickly realized it wasnt and crossed back over.

Unfortunately the only other car on the road happened to be a cop. He saw this and obv pulls me over.

He comes over the car, asks for the usual information, and then asks me to step out of the car and proceeds to give me a field sobriety test.

The first thing he made me do was stand on one foot, keep the other 6 inches off the ground and count to 15 (one one-thousand, two one-thousand.. and so on). I did that no problem. He then pulls out the pen and tells me to follow it with just my eyes. He does this for about 15-20 seconds and goes "Put your hands behind your back."

uhh GG life.

[neuroman]

Wow Tom, that totally sucks. What happened at the station, did you blow into a machine? What was your BAC?

I found an online calculator which estimated my BAC to be about 0.09%-0.11%. Hard to tell exactly since who knows how much booze was in the glass of punch.

[TheAntiPuritan]

the pen trick is solid if performed correctly. when you've consumed a certian amount of alcohol, your eyes will almost do a "vibration-like-bounce" thing when at the extremities of their range.

so when he has you looking far to your left and pauses, he is looking for the slightest virbration. be smart, if there is any doubt, deny the field test and breath test. go to jail, post bail, go home, call a lawyer, you're now out of a G or 2 but that's life.

[doubLe a tom]

I denied the breathalyzer, but that doesnt really help much considering the fact that I am only 19 years old.

Im not sure exactly what my BAC% was since I didnt take the test, but the cop estimated me to be somewhere around .12%.

Gonna cost me quite a bit of $$$ in fines. I dont think Im going to get a lawyer since the penalties are mandatory, so it would just be another waste of money.

[kom]

Do they have breathalyzers in the US?

In Australia, the cops have a simple little machine you blow into and it gives your BAC. Why don't you guys have this or do you have it and theres some BS bill of rights whatever that allows you to deny it?

The whole DUI "follow my pen" seems pretty ridiculous when there are simple and more precise methods available.

[kipin]

[ QUOTE ]
Gonna cost me quite a bit of $$$ in fines. I dont think Im going to get a lawyer since the penalties are mandatory, so it would just be another waste of money.

[/ QUOTE ]

Get a lawyer.

[doubLe a tom]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Gonna cost me quite a bit of $$$ in fines. I dont think Im going to get a lawyer since the penalties are mandatory, so it would just be another waste of money.

[/ QUOTE ]

Get a lawyer.

[/ QUOTE ]

How can a lawyer help?

[doubLe a tom]

Yes, we have breathalyzers, you dont have to take it.. but if you dont take it, you automatically lose your license for a year I think it is.