In Florida, police officers monitor the roads carefully to prevent drunk driving crashes. Unfortunately, their enthusiasm for enforcement sometimes leads to innocent people getting arrested for a DUI. The following are three common scenarios often used by police that could lead to someone’s prosecution for a DUI offense.
Targeted traffic stops
One-on-one traffic stops are a top cause of DUI charges in Florida.
Police officers know that someone crossing the yellow line or maintaining inconsistent travel speeds might potentially have had too much to drink. Officers then pull people over and may rush to conclusions about what affected their driving capabilities.
Sobriety checkpoints
DUI roadblocks or sobriety checkpoints are a mass-scale enforcement tool commonly used across Florida. Police departments may even publicize their intent to conduct roadblocks, as was the case with communities trying to deter spring break partying this year. At sobriety checkpoints, police officers screen hundreds of people in a short amount of time and may conduct dozens of arrests.
Post-collision checks
Alcohol intoxication is a leading contributing factor to many crashes reported every year in Florida. Therefore, it is quite common for police officers to check everyone involved in a collision for sobriety. Even if someone was not at fault for a crash, if they are over the legal limit for their blood alcohol concentration (BAC), then an officer may arrest them after the collision.
What should you do?
There are some ways for those accused of impaired driving to fight back against those charges. Exploring different defense options, such as providing medical explanations or questioning police conduct, could help someone to potentially avoid a DUI conviction. Contact theLee Viacava Law Firm so we can put our experience to work for you.