If convicted of drunk driving, you may end up in jail, pay hefty fines and have a criminal record. On top of that, you may have to deal with other collateral consequences, such as increased insurance premiums, a tainted reputation and a possible license suspension. Your quality of life will definitely dwindle after a DUI conviction.
Fortunately, you can go against your charges and avoid the potential consequences of a DUI conviction. Depending on the circumstances of your case, here are some of the defenses you can employ.
Challenging the evidence against you
First, did the police have sufficient legal grounds to pull you over or arrest you? It is a very crucial aspect of your case since the constitution protects you from unreasonable searches by law enforcement. The police must have reasonable suspicion to pull you over and probable cause to arrest you
If the police unlawfully pulled you over, the court may suppress evidence obtained from the illegal stop as it was obtained in violation of your legal rights.
Flawed sobriety and breath tests
There is also a possibility that your breath test results, which measure the amount of alcohol in your system, were inaccurate. Various reasons may be behind this, from improper administration of the test to existing medical conditions.
Field sobriety tests, too, are notoriously unreliable. The arresting officer must understand and properly evaluate your performance in these tests in order to arrive at a conclusion regarding your sobriety, and the evaluation is wholly subjective.
Preparing your defense
If you are facing drunk driving charges, it is in your best interests to have the necessary guidance when formulating your defense. Some aspects of your defense strategy may involve some legal technicalities and questions of law.
Therefore, you stand a better chance of a desirable outcome of your DUI case if you have the proper legal representation than when you go at it alone.