As you may know, police cannot pull your car over without a reason. An officer can’t stop cars randomly, hand out breath tests and try to find drunk drivers. Even if that officer knows it’s likely that someone is drunk — perhaps it is 2:00 a.m., and the officer is near a bar — he or she still needs reasonable suspicion for that stop.
So, what do police look for before conducting traffic stops? A few common signs include:
- Drivers who make illegal turns
- Drivers who straddle the center line, with two wheels on each side.
- Drivers who almost crash into other vehicles
- Cars that drift back and forth between the lanes or swerve within the lane
- Drivers who almost drive off of the roadway, almost as if they’re distracted
- Cars that move erratically and unpredictably, almost looking as if they’re out of control
- Drivers who go extremely slowly
- Drivers who stop when there is no reason to do so
- Cars that are speeding, often well exceeding the speed limit
- Drivers who frequently hit the brakes, again, almost appearing out of control
These are just a few examples, but police essentially look for people who are not driving normally and who are violating even minor traffic laws. This can give them reason to stop the cars, and they may then discover that the driver seems intoxicated.
Do you think that the police gave you a DUI after pulling you over for no reason? Remember, they do have to follow the proper steps, so you need to know your legal options if they did not do so.