Reader’s Question:

I have never gotten arrested for DUI here in Montgomery, Alabama but I know a lot of people who have been charged with this kind of offense. I’m just really curious because I don’t want the same thing to happen to me. I just wanna know, what happens in a DUI arrest?

Regine

Montgomery, AL

Usually, a driver is being suspected for driving under the influence if he/she is drifting between lanes, stopping abruptly for no reason, swerving erratically while driving, driving at extremely high or low speeds or making excessively wide turns. If you were caught doing at least one of these things, you might just get pulled over and be arrested for DUI in Montgomery, Alabama.

During a DUI arrest, a driver is usually asked to do some tests to prove whether or not he/she has been driving under the influence. The first set of tests would be the Field Sobriety Tests (FST) to test the coordination and balance of the driver. The usual tests that are being done would be the Horizontal Eye Test, the Walk and Turn test, and the One Leg Stand. Each of these tests being conducted is designed so that a sober person will be able to pass without a problem. These tests do not provide the police officer with a specific blood alcohol level but they do allow the officer to pass judgment on the ability of the driver to operate a motor vehicle.

Once the police officer determines that the driver is intoxicated based on these FST, he/she will be asked to take the Breathalyzer test. The driver will breathe into the Breathalyzer and it will compute the blood alcohol level. The driver will be considered legally intoxicated if your blood alcohol is 0.08 or higher. If the driver fails the FST and Breathalyzer, he/she will be read his/her rights and arrested. He/she must remain in jail until someone posts bail and he/she receives a court date for sentencing.

Tags: DUI, DUI advice, DWI lawyer