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Evidence Taken From Salisbury DUI Stops

When someone is pulled over and suspected of being under the influence in Salisbury they may not be thinking about how their actions at the time will impact their case in court. However, in a typical DUI case almost all the evidence that is presented will stem from that original DUI stop. As a result, it is important that you know what to expect and how your actions can be used as evidence later on. To learn more or question your DUI stop in Salisbury, call a Salisbury DUI lawyer today.

How Evidence is Collected From a DUI Stop

As soon as a police officer makes contact with a driver during a stop, that police officer has already begun their investigation into whether or not the person driving is under the influence. The officer has been trained to make observations about the driver immediately and will be looking to see if the driver has any of the characteristics of someone under the influence such as:

  • Glassy or bloodshot eyes,
  • Trouble following instructions
  • Slurred speech
  • Confusion or irritability

The driver may not realize it, but all of the driver’s statements to the police officer can also be used later as evidence against the driver at a DUI trial. For this reason, it’s important for a driver to realize that that an investigation starts the minute they roll down their window and make  contact with the police officer.

Field Sobriety Tests As Evidence

The driver should anticipate that the police officer will want to have them get out of their vehicle and perform standardized field sobriety tests. These are tests that the police are trained to ask a person to take and additionally, they are trained to observe the driver’s behavior when performing these tests. The officer will be making notes and will later write a report based on what he or she saw during the tests or interaction with the driver and which will be presented against the driver at trial.

Often times, in meetings with clients, they will say how well they believed the did on a field sobriety tests, then when they see the report or the video, the attorney, will see things that the driver didn’t even realize were clues that could then be used against them (at a trial) to suggest that their coordination was impacted.

Mistakes that Can Hurt You in Court

There are two big mistakes. First, avoid being argumentative or disruptive with the police officer. This will never be of assistance later at a trial and it can turn a bad situation into a much worse one. For this reason you should be polite and cooperative with the police officer.

With that said, another big mistake that often happens is that a driver provides way too much information and makes statements that are later used against them in court. It’s important for people to understand that they need to answer some questions, but they don’t have to incriminate themselves. They do not have to admit that they have been at a bar and they don’t have to admit that they consumed alcohol.

Impact of Your Stop in Court

All observations that an officer makes along with all the statements that you provide can all be presented in court to show your level of impairment. In this regard, the stop is one of the most important aspects of any DUI case making it important that you don’t make your situation any worse than it needs to be. This also means you should consult with a DUI lawyer as soon as possible after you are stopped so that an attorney can keep you from incriminating yourself further and begin putting together the aspects of a strong defense.

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