3 Ways To Beat A DUI Charge
Are you facing a DUI charge? If so, you may be anxious about the consequences. You could face fines, community service, a loss of driving privileges, or even time in jail. A DUI can impact your driving record long-term, costing you thousands of dollars in fines, legal fees, and increased insurance. However, just because you are charged with a DUI doesn't mean you will be convicted. You can challenge the charge in court and defend yourself. With a successful defense, you can have the charges dropped to something less serious or dismissed altogether. Below are three ways to defend against a DUI charge.
Challenge the validity of the stop
One of the most effective ways to challenge a DUI is to prove that you never should have been pulled over in the first place. For instance, maybe you were pulled over for running a red light, but the light was actually yellow. The officer's dash cam is often the best piece of evidence. You can show that the officer was wrong in what they saw. You can also challenge the legality of a stop if it results from a checkpoint. Checkpoints have very strict rules. You are not obligated to answer any questions or perform any tests from a checkpoint, but officers will often say that you must comply so that you will pull to the side. If that's the case, you may be able to show that the officer didn't operate within the rules of a checkpoint.
Challenge the roadside tests
Officers often put DUI suspects through a series of roadside tests designed to judge a person's sobriety. These can include walking in a straight line or following an officer's finger with your gaze. These tests have been proven ineffective multiple times but are still widely used. The biggest issue is that the officer has no baseline of your normal cognitive ability, so they're making subjective judgments about your sobriety. These can often be challenged in court as being inaccurate and ineffective, especially if they're the only proof that you were drunk.
Challenge the accuracy of a blood alcohol test
If you blew into a blood alcohol test, you might think the case against you is rock solid, but that's not always true. Blood alcohol testers are not always accurate devices. That's especially true if it is an older model or the department has not serviced the device as it should. You can request the device's service records. If the records are incomplete or outdated, the results could be thrown out.
Ready to fight your DUI charge? Contact a criminal defense attorney in your area today to start the process.