When Life Gives You Lemons — Call an Attorney

If you are pulled over and detained for a DUI, that means you were driving with a level of alcohol in your system that was above the legal limit. When you are impaired, your guard is let down, and you may be willing to say more than you should. However, you need to be careful when you speak to the police officer who pulled you over, as what you say can be held against you. Here are some things to remember when you talk to the police after you have been pulled over for a DUI:

Should You Remain Silent?

When you are arrested, you are read your Miranda Rights by the arresting officer. The officer will explain your right to remain silent, and tell you that what you say can be used against you in court. While you need to be careful, you may not want to remain completely silent, as your unwillingness to answer questions may lead the officer to believe you are automatically guilty.

When you are questioned, you should provide short, concise answers to the questions. If you are being asked something you do not believe is fair, or is leading you into admitting guilt, that is when you are not going to answer per your Miranda Rights. This way, you appear cooperative and still maintain your rights to not incriminate yourself.

What you do not want to do is show anger or provide sarcastic or disrespectful answers to the officer. Doing so is a quick way to end up in jail.

Do You Need Your Attorney?

Once you are brought in after an arrest, you need to ask to speak to your attorney before you answer any further questions. You have the right to have an attorney present for your questioning. If the officers are trying to push you to answer certain questions you do not want to answer, simply say you will remain silent until your attorney arrives to advise you. Doing so will help prevent you from accidentally saying something that could make you appear guilty or increase your chance for incarceration.

A DUI arrest is scary and upsetting. If you do not think you were driving over the legal limit, you need to express this in a respectful way and decline discussing it further until you see your attorney. You can decline additional sobriety testing until your attorney arrives as well. The bottom line is you need to act calmly and rationally when you are pulled over for suspected DUI.

For more information, contact a DUI defense attorney, such as Barry W Engle PC, today.