The Typical Arizona DUI Stop
The police must witness a traffic violation or have reasonable suspicion that you have committed a crime in order to make a traffic stop. In suspected DUI situations, police officers are trained to look for certain driving behaviors:
- Weaving
- Weaving across lane lines
- Straddling a lane line
- Drifting
- Swerving
- Almost striking a vehicle or other object
- Turning with a wide radius, or drifting during a curve
- Stopping problems (too far, too short, too jerky)
- Accelerating for no reason
- Varying speed
- Slow speed
- Driving without headlights at night
- Failure to signal a turn or lane change, or signaling inconsistently with actions
- Driving in opposing lanes or the wrong way on a one-way street
- Slow response to traffic signals
- Slow or failure to respond to officer's signals
- Stopping in the lane for no apparent reason
- Following too closely
- Improper or unsafe lane change
- Illegal or improper turn (too fast, jerky, sharp, etc.)
- Driving on other than the designated roadway
- Stopping inappropriately in response to an officer
- Inappropriate or unusual behavior
- Appearing to be impaired
To justify a stop, a police officer will state that he witnessed a traffic violation, and/or some of the behaviors listed above.
The police officer is also trained to look for certain post-stop behavior:
- Difficulty with motor vehicle controls
- Difficulty exiting the vehicle
- Fumbling with driver's license or registration
- Repeating questions or comments
- Swaying, being unsteady, or having balance problems
- Leaning on the vehicle or other object
- Slurred speech
- Slow to respond to officer or requiring the officer to repeat questions
- Providing incorrect information or changing answers
- Odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the driver
The police officer will usually list some of these items in his police report as further evidence against you.
If you or a loved one are accused of a crime and need representation, call (480) 636-1101 to schedule a free initial consultation.
If you or a loved one are accused of DUI and need representation, call (480) 636-1101 to schedule a free initial consultation.
If your child is accused of a crime and needs representation, call (480) 636-1101 to schedule a free initial consultation.
