Salisbury DUI Frequently Asked Questions
Below a DUI attorney in Salisbury answers some frequently asked questions regarding driving under the influence charges. Read on to learn about area enforcement or, if you have already been charged, schedule a consultation today to discuss your case and how to proceed.
Do Salisbury Law Enforcement Officers Heavily Enforce DUI Laws?
DUI laws in Salisbury, Maryland are heavily enforced and enforcement can shift between several different agencies in Salisbury. Primarily there is the Salisbury police department, but there is also the Wicomico County Sheriff’s office and there is the Maryland State police that are assigned to work in Salisbury. So all three of those law enforcement agencies at any given time are patrolling the streets and the areas in Salisbury and they are certainly are looking to enforce the DUI laws here.
Are DUI Checkpoints Common?
DUI checkpoints are not necessarily “common,” but they do occur periodically in Salisbury. There are a couple of major highways that are in and around Salisbury and it is not unusual a couple of times a year for law enforcement to conduct a DUI checkpoint on those major highways. Although it doesn’t happen frequently, about once a year that Salisbury city police department will establish a DUI checkpoint on some very busy street in Salisbury.
Typically, those happen right around Christmas. At that time of the year, there are many more parties and functions going on at people’s jobs and alcohol is involved in those types of parties which explains the presence of a DUI checkpoint right around that time.
Are DUIs An Area of Focus For Law Enforcement Officers?
DUI enforcement is absolutely a focus for Salisbury law enforcement. There are three different law enforcement agencies and all three of them at any given time are going to be paying attention to making DUI arrests. There are a lot of different reasons for that. The mothers against drunk driving organization has a very strong presence in Salisbury. There are MADD representatives that actually sit in court and take note of how those cases are being handled by the prosecutor. They’re paying attention to what sort of sentences the judges give and so there is definitely a focus being placed on what’s happening with DUI cases in Salisbury. It is very common for people who are charged or convicted of DUIs. Those convictions are listed in the local paper. So it’s a hot button issue and has been for years here.
What Do Salisbury Officers Look For Before Pulling Over Drivers For Possible DUI Charges?
The officer is going to be observing how the driver is operating a car. So because the police officer has got to establish reasonable articulable suspicion to pull the car over so the police officer has to be looking for things that they can then testify to that gave them the legal basis to pull the car over.
So the officer is going to be looking for some of the following:
- Does the driver obeys all the different traffic control devices.
- Does the driver maintain the car in his lane or does he cross over into the shoulder or does the driver cross the center line and start driving the car even by just a couple of tire lengths or tire width.
- Does the driver go in an incoming lane of traffic?
- Is the driver obeying the speed limit?
Driving over the speed limit certainly is going to get a person charged. Driving drastically under the speed limit could also get the car pulled over.
Additionally, the police will be looking for equipment violations. Many people have been stopped for something as simple as not having lights to illuminate their tags (a practice referred to as “tag lighting”), or because their third brake light was not operating, or some other type of brake light or tail light was not functioning properly. That’s all that it takes for a police officer to be able to justify pulling a car over. And then once they get the car pulled over, they are immediately going to begin investigating to see if the person has consumed any alcohol or is exhibiting any signs of impairment.