Officers have the right to set up DUI traffic stops along the road at random intervals, and sometimes do not even have to give a warning to drivers about what they are doing.
But do you have the right to avoid these traffic stops? Many people default to assume that they do not, but the answer might surprise you.
Legality of avoiding DUI stops
As Life Safer discusses, it is not illegal to avoid a DUI stop. In fact, nothing in the law states that you cannot simply turn and drive away the moment you see a DUI stop ahead.
However, there are several things you should keep in mind. First of all, an officer will likely be keeping an eye out for people turning and leaving before going through the stop. They will feel automatic suspicion whether or not you display other signs of driving while drunk, and they may look for reasons to pull you over.
Avoid drawing police attention
To that end, you cannot do anything illegal while attempting to leave before going through a DUI checkpoint. This means cutting off other cars or driving aggressively, going over double yellow lines, making illegal U-turns, driving on the wrong side of the road, not stopping for a traffic sign and so on.
Officers can even use other potential infractions as a reason to pull you over, ranging from broken tail lights to expired plate stickers. In other words, unless you have a pretty decent guarantee that you can make a turn without an officer finding any reason to pull you over, going through the stop may serve as the best course of action.