Generally speaking, the police cannot just pull over random vehicles and check to see if the drivers are impaired. They cannot sit outside of a bar and pull over every car that leaves, giving each driver a breath test to check their BAC.
Instead, the police first need to see signs of impaired driving, giving them reasonable suspicion to stop the vehicle. They still do not technically know if the driver is impaired or not, but they now have a reason to investigate further. They can pull the car over, talk to the driver, ask them to take field sobriety tests, administer a breath test and take other steps.
How impairment changes driver behavior
As such, it is very important to identify the signs that the police may look for based on the way alcohol affects a person’s ability to drive safely. Potential signs include:
- Weaving across the road or driving in a zigzag pattern
- Driving with tires on either side of the centerline
- Accelerating or decelerating abruptly
- Driving aggressively or tailgating other cars
- Driving in the wrong lane or driving the wrong way down a roadway
- Stopping for no apparent reason
- Having an extremely delayed reaction to traffic signals
- Near misses, such as almost running into a curb
- Forgetting to turn the headlights on when it is dark outside
- Driving far below the posted speed limit, perhaps in an attempt to avoid detection
When the police see these types of issues, they may then conduct a traffic stop, which could result in an arrest. Those who are facing serious impaired driving charges must know what legal options they have at this time.