Drennan Law Firm's Blog

When you have to travel, it can be hard. Highways can become congested, and there is the possibility of crashes. Stop-and-go traffic is more likely to cause crashes, since people are traveling slowly and may be stopped for periods of time. When they start moving again, they might move too quickly and end up in a rear-end collision as the vehicles ahead of them are forced to stop.

As someone who would rather avoid any kind of collision, it's a good idea to learn more about what you can do to avoid them. Here are three helpful tips that can keep you safer when you're traveling on highways or interstates.

As you may know, the police have to have a good reason to pull you over while you're driving. Perhaps you swerved out of your lane or ran a stop sign. Both of those are good reasons to stop you and make sure everything is okay.

One thing that some people have trouble understanding is how a sobriety checkpoint can be legal. Without doing anything wrong, should the police be able to stop you? It's an age-old question, but at the present time, DUI checkpoints are legal, in most cases.

If you never drink alcohol and drive, you never have to concern yourself with being arrested for this crime. However, this alone isn't good enough, as it's always possible an officer could pull you over for suspicion of DUI.

Here are a few of the most common DUI traffic stop questions, all of which can help you better understand what will happen and how to protect your legal rights.

• What is the legal blood alcohol limit? If your blood alcohol content level is .08 percent or higher, the officer will consider you to be driving under the influence of alcohol. This will also lead to your arrest.
• How do police determine if you are under the influence of alcohol? There are many ways for them to do this, including the use of field sobriety tests. Along with this, a chemical blood alcohol level test typically comes into play if you fail a sobriety test.
• Are you required to do what the officer tells you? You can refuse to partake in field sobriety tests and a chemical blood alcohol level test. However, doing so will impact your defense strategy, so it's important to make a decision based on the circumstances surrounding your situation.
• Are DUI checkpoints legal? You're not excited about the idea of driving into a DUI checkpoint, but these are 100 percent legal. You have the right to turn around before going through a checkpoint, but don't break the law while doing so.
• What happens next? If the officer arrests you for driving under the influence, you'll be taken to a local police station for processing. Conversely, if it's found that you are not under the influence and didn't commit any other crime, the officer will let you go on your way.

Everyone makes mistakes. For some people, that's breaking and entering. For others, it's drinking and driving.

If you get behind the wheel when you're intoxicated, you increase the risk of being pulled over for a DUI. A DUI is a serious offense that can lead to many expenses ranging from alcohol or substance abuse treatment to court fines.