The police cannot just conduct traffic stops on a whim. An officer who is driving around at 2 a.m., for instance, may know that other drivers are likely heading home from bars and clubs, so they could be intoxicated. But the officer cannot just randomly pull over vehicles, giving drivers a breath test until they find someone who is over the legal limit.
Instead, that officer needs to find a reason to pull the driver over. In some cases, it is a simple traffic stop based on breaking the speed limit or rolling through a stop sign. But the officer can also make a stop if they see potential signs of driver impairment. So what would these look like?
10 common issues
Drunk drivers can make a wide variety of traffic mistakes, but below are some issues the police see often:
- Erratic braking for no reason
- Drifting between traffic lanes
- Straddling the centerline with wheels on both sides
- Quickly accelerating or braking in an aggressive manner
- Not responding to traffic signals as expected, such as failing to move when the traffic light turns green
- Failing to turn the headlights on even though it is dark outside
- Driving far below the speed limit
- Making illegal maneuvers or turns, such as a U-turn
- Coming close to an accident, such as almost running into a curb or parked car
- Driving the wrong way down a one-way street
As you can see, some of these mistakes are far more serious than others, but they could all be justification for a traffic stop. If you get pulled over and then find yourself facing drunk driving charges, make sure you know exactly what defense options you have.