What to Do When Pulled Over on Suspicion of Driving Under the Influence (D.U.I.)

D.U.I. Convictions Cause Permanent Troubles

Picture the following scenario: You've worked hard all week and on Friday all that work paid off. Your company got the contract and you got a promotion. Everyone gets together after the office closes for an informal celebration at a nearby cocktail lounge. You don't usually drink, but the boss sprung for a bottle of the good champagne and is proposing a toast to you, so you have a glass of champagne.

An hour later you order an appetizer and wash it down with a bottle of imported beer before saying your goodbyes and leaving, feeling like you are on top of the world. Your hard work is paying off and your colleagues have recognized you for the professional you are. You can't wait to get home to share the news with your family. As you buckle up and start the car, you don't know someone had bumped into your tail light, breaking the lens.

After driving a few blocks, you're alarmed by the red and blue flashing lights in your rearview mirror and pull to the side of the road so the emergency vehicle can pass. But it doesn't pass you. It pulls in behind you and you run through a mental checklist of how fast you were going, if you came to a complete stop at that last stop sign and if you signaled for a turn you made. Now there's a law enforcement officer shining a flashlight in your eyes and asking for your driver's license, registration and proof of insurance.

While retrieving the requested documents, you ask the officer why you're being pulled over and are told you have a busted tail light lens. As you hand him your documents he looks at your license and asks if you've had anything to drink.

Stop! This is where most honest people make their first mistake. The most common answer is, "I've had a couple drinks." That answer will get you in trouble. You can refuse to answer on the grounds that you may incriminate yourself (The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution). If you want to be cooperative and answer the question, answer it specifically. "Yes, I had one glass of Dom Perignon Champagne an hour and a half ago and one bottle of Hieneken to wash down the buffalo wings and cheese sticks I ate 30 minutes ago," you may reply to the officer.