| If you're sober, then you've got nothing to | | | | - Stopping (without cause) in Traffic Lane 50 |
| worry about, right? Not necessarily. The | | | | |
| problem with being singled out of traffic as | | | | - Drifting 50 |
| a possible DUI is that the officer has | | | | |
| already formed certain expectations: He is | | | | - Following too closely 45 |
| psychologically predisposed to "see" what he | | | | |
| expects to see -- and he expects to see an | | | | - Tires on Center or Lane Marker 45 |
| inebriated person behind the wheel. So | | | | |
| reddish eyes from fatigue, alcohol on the | | | | - Braking Erratically 45 |
| breath from a single drink, and nervous | | | | |
| fumbling with your wallet trying to get your | | | | - Driving Into Opposing or Crossing Traffic |
| driver's license will be seen as | | | | 45 |
| corraborating these suspicions. And then your | | | | |
| future is going to depend upon performing | | | | - Signaling Inconsistent with Driving Actions |
| well on field sobriety tests -- tests which | | | | 40 |
| are notoriously difficult for anyone to pass. | | | | |
| | | | - Stopping Inappropriately (other than in |
| So how do you avoid being pulled over in the | | | | lane) 35 |
| first place? Well, it helps to know exactly | | | | |
| what the police are looking for. Most of them | | | | - Turning Abruptly or Illegally 35 |
| have been taught what driving symptoms | | | | |
| indicate the relative probability that the | | | | - Accelerating or Decelerating Rapidly 30 |
| driver is intoxicated. This training is | | | | |
| usually based upon research conducted by the | | | | - Headlights Off 30 |
| federal National Highway Traffic Safety | | | | |
| Administration and reproduced in a booklet | | | | The NHTSA research indicates that symptoms |
| intended primarily for law enforcement, | | | | are rarely seen in isolation; officers |
| "Guide for Detecting Drunk Drivers at Night". | | | | usually see a number of driving symptoms |
| The booklet contains a "DUI Detection Guide", | | | | before pulling the suspect over. And the |
| which identifies the 19 most common and | | | | chances of a driver being intoxicated when |
| reliable initial indicators of drunk driving | | | | multiple symptoms are observed can also be |
| - along with the percentage probability that | | | | calculated: "When two or more cues are seen, |
| the driver exhibiting the symptom is, in | | | | add 10 to the highest value among the cues |
| fact, under the influence. The following is a | | | | observed." For example, if the subject is |
| list of the symptoms and the probability of | | | | observed to be weaving (60) and following too |
| intoxication. Thus, for example, the research | | | | closely (45), there are 70 chances out of 100 |
| indicates that "the chances are 65 out of | | | | that his blood-alcohol is above the legal |
| 100" that a driver who is making a wide turn | | | | limit. |
| or straddling a lane line has a blood-alcohol | | | | |
| concentration above the legal limit. | | | | Speeding, incidentally, is not a symptom of |
| | | | DUI. Because of the need for quicker judgment |
| - Turning with Wide Radius 65 | | | | and reflexes, it may actually indicate |
| | | | sobriety. You may get stopped for speeding, |
| - Straddling Center or Lane Marker 65 | | | | but at least you won't have the officer |
| | | | approaching your car expecting to make a DUI |
| - Appearing to be Drunk 60 | | | | arrest. |
| | | | |
| - Almost Striking Object or Vehicle 60 | | | | So if you're driving home late some night, |
| | | | keep in mind what the police are looking for |
| - Weaving 60 | | | | -- and drive accordingly. |
| | | | |
| - Driving on Other Than Designated Roadway 55 | | | | Lawrence Taylor is a former prosecutor, law |
| | | | professor and author of "Drunk Driving |
| - Swerving 55 | | | | Defense, 5th edition". You can visit Orange |
| | | | County DUI Lawyers to get more information |
| - Slow Speed (more than 10 miles per hour | | | | about his law firm with offices in Orange |
| below limit) 50 | | | | County, California. |
| | | | |