Here’s the conclusion to our blog series How to Protect Your Rights during an Alabama DUI Stop: 7 Tips.
Additional Ways to Protect Yourself during an Alabama DUI Stop
5 – Be prepared to be asked to submit to BAC testing.
When an Alabama DUI stop leads to an arrest and DUI charges, contact us. Our lawyers have the experience you can rely on to favorably resolve your DUI case.
Whether you fail field sobriety tests or you refuse to submit to them, you should know that, in general, the next step in an Alabama DUI stop will typically entail officers requesting that you submit to chemical or blood alcohol concentration (BAC) testing.
This testing, which can include breath, blood and/or urine tests, is not optional like field sobriety testing. However:
- You can refuse to submit to BAC testing.
- If you do refuse this testing, your driving privileges will be automatically suspended (with the duration of the suspension depending on whether you have any prior DUIs).
- If you do refuse this testing, your refusal can be used against you later (in that prosecutors can try to argue that refusals were attempts to hide intoxication).
Understanding your options (and the impacts of these possible choices) at this point in an Alabama DUI stop can be essential to making the right decision in your situation.
6 – Do NOT resist arrest if officers decide to place you under arrest.
Should officers choose to place you under arrest at this point in an Alabama DUI stop:
- There is likely little to nothing you can do to change their minds.
- Resisting the arrest will only hurt your case.
This is because, when you fight the arrest, your actions can be used against you as potential evidence of intoxication (as prosecutors may argue that your overly aggressive behavior is an indication that you were drunk). What can be even worse is when resisting the arrest leads to additional criminal charges, physical force being used against you (causing you physical harm), etc.
So, save yourself from these complications and just go along with the arrest.
7 – Contact our DUI defense lawyers ASAP.
This is the most important thing you can do when an Alabama DUI stop leads to an arrest, as our trusted and experienced DUI defense attorneys will be ready to immediately start defending you, protecting your rights and helping you disentangle yourself from the criminal justice system.
Montgomery and Birmingham DUI Attorneys at Joe Reed & Associates, LLC
Have you been arrested for a DUI? If so, you can count on the Montgomery and Birmingham DUI lawyers at Joe Reed & Associates, LLC to be aggressive advocates for your rights.
To discuss your case and find out more about how we can help you pursue your best DUI defense options, contact us today to schedule attend an initial consultation. To set up this meeting today, call us at 334-834-2000, or email us using the contact form at the top of this page. Initial consultations are free in most cases, and evening and weekend appointments are available for your convenience.