How to Deal with Holiday DUI

Law enforcement officers are busy during holidays like the Fourth of July. While most people in Florida are happy celebrating holidays, police and Florida Highway Patrol are out patrolling highways and streets setting up DUI checkpoints in a heightened enthusiasm to arrest people for drunk driving.

Holidays like the Fourth of July results in more intoxicated motorists throughout roads and highways across the nation. Unfortunately, according to a data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than half of deadly crashes on the Fourth of July are caused by drunk drivers in the last 25 years of the last century.

A DUI arrest is costly. A recent study shows that an average DUI arrest where there is no injury or damaged property may cost anywhere between $10,000 to $15,000. If someone is injured or property is damaged, then the cost may be higher.

Given the dangers and cost of drunk driving, what should you do to avoid it? Of course, the simple answer to that is not drinking and driving. However, if you happen to be pulled over on a holiday for drunk driving, there are important things that can help you avoid a DUI conviction.

The first thing you need to do is not panic. Remain cool and understand that nothing you do or say will save you from a possible arrest just yet.

Always be polite to the patrol officer. You will never benefit from having an argument with law enforcement. In fact, arguing will only put you in a bad limelight even worse. Take note that argumentative behavior is often linked to intoxication, which can only strengthen the drunk driving case against you.

It is better to not answer any question about how much you have had to drink. Just give the information like driver’s license and registration to the arresting officer. Do not say anything about how much alcohol you have consumed. Politely say to the police that you need to talk to a lawyer before answering any question.

Say as little as possible to the arresting officer. Do not make any unnecessary statement as anything you say will be used against you.

If you have been arrested for DUI on a holiday in Florida, it is important that you talk to a criminal defense lawyer as soon as you can. The defense lawyer will help determine whether the stop of your vehicle is done legally, the validity of the field sobriety tests conducted on you, or if the entire DUI arrest was made legal.