Seeing a police vehicle behind you may automatically put you on the defensive. Once the officer pulls you over, they will try to find out what’s going on. This can include several steps if they pulled you over for suspicion of drunk driving.
The traffic stop will most likely include the officer questioning you to determine why you were driving the way you were and whether you show signs of impairment. They may ask you to take field sobriety tests and a breath test. If those indicate impairment, the officer will arrest you. However, how do you know if all that evidence can be used against you? Part of what determines that is whether the stop was lawful or not.
Where does reasonable suspicion come into play?
Reasonable suspicion is the minimal requirement for a police officer to conduct a traffic stop. In the case of a suspected drunk driving stop, the officer had to see something that would make a reasonable person believe that a driver is impaired.
There are some signs that are common when a person who is driving a vehicle is intoxicated. These include things like stopping suddenly without a reason, drifting in and out of the proper lane of travel or driving without headlights when they’re required.
A lack of reasonable suspicion could mean that the traffic stop wasn’t lawful. That fact can have a key impact on the defense strategy you employ, so it’s best to get experienced legal guidance as early as possible to protect your rights and determine how best to respond to the charge.