{"id":3966,"date":"2013-10-03T19:28:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-03T19:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/how-to-avoid-dui-conviction\/"},"modified":"2020-10-30T20:46:43","modified_gmt":"2020-10-30T20:46:43","slug":"how-to-avoid-dui-conviction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/how-to-avoid-dui-conviction\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Avoid DUI conviction : Don’t Give the Police a Reason to Pull you Over!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Avoid<\/a>Obviously, the best, and most sure way to avoid DUI conviction, is to not consume alcohol.\u00a0 It is not even enough to only drink a bit so your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) is below the legal limit.\u00a0 Any measurable amount of alcohol in your system can lead to a DUI charge if the officer feels you are under the influence of alcohol (see my article here: http:\/\/www.flockoflegals.com\/2013\/09\/18\/dui-under-08\/<\/a>).\u00a0 So, the best way to avoid DUI conviction is simply to not drink.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s be real for a bit, most people drive with a measurable amount of alcohol in their system fairly regularly.\u00a0 Whether you are coming home from a wedding, a concert, a dinner party, happy hour, whatever it may be, and had something to drink, there is a danger of you getting a DUI.\u00a0 You see, you don\u2019t have to be driving erratically to get pulled over by the police.\u00a0 All a police officer needs to pull you over is \u201cprobable cause.\u201d\u00a0 This comes in the form of your breaking any one of the hundreds of traffic laws.\u00a0 Once the officer pulls you over, he can ask you all sorts of questions to see whether you have been drinking.\u00a0 The best way to avoid a DUI, aside from not drinking and driving, is to not break minor traffic laws.\u00a0 I have compiled a list of precautions to take, and things to avoid, should you decide to drive with alcohol in your system.\u00a0 Don\u2019t give the officer a reason to pull you over!<\/p>\n

3 Best ways to Avoid DUI conviction<\/h2>\n

What reasons to cops use to pull vehicles over and start a DUI investigation? \u00a0What can you do to avoid DUI conviction? \u00a0Here is a checklist of 3 practical things you can watch for, because we know for sure the cops are watching<\/p>\n

\u00a0A) Locations and Driving time<\/h1>\n

Put yourself in the large and heavy boots of a police officer.\u00a0 Where would a police officer go to nab people for drunk driving?\u00a0 Places where alcohol is served: bars, nightclubs, concerts, sports games, large weddings.\u00a0 This is also true of happy hours, late nights and weekends; police officers are not stupid: they know where to find the drinks.\u00a0 Obviously, if you are leaving one of these events, be on the lookout and be careful.\u00a0 Even if you are just driving through an area that has bars and nightclubs, know that police are going to be nearby looking for any excuse to pull someone over.\u00a0 If you are driving home, avoid these areas.\u00a0 Take a different route home to avoid these areas.\u00a0 While it may take you a little longer, you are less likely to run into a bored police officer.<\/p>\n

B) Make sure your vehicle doesn\u2019t stand out<\/h1>\n

People like to be individuals.\u00a0 They like to stand out.\u00a0 When you are trying to avoid police, however, standing out is a very bad thing.\u00a0 While making your car stand out is not a crime, it does catch the eye of police officers and they are more likely to watch your behavior and catch you in a minor traffic violation.\u00a0 Here are some other ways to make sure your vehicle is not standing out and and avoid giving an officer a legal reason to pull you over:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Tail Lights:<\/strong> make sure they work.\u00a0 A broken taillight is a violation and people get pulled over for it ALL the time.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Headlights:<\/strong> make sure they work, and make sure they are on.\u00a0 Someone driving without their headlights on is like waiving a flag that says \u201cplease pull me over.\u201d<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Tinted Windows:<\/strong> I see this one all the time.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t even matter if you bought the car that way.\u00a0 There are laws regarding your window tint. \u00a0Read them and heed them.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 Registration:<\/strong> you have a bright, colorful sticker on the back of your car that gives the month and year your registration expires.\u00a0 All the cop has to do is glance at the back of your car to see if it\u2019s expired.\u00a0 Keep it up to date.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 Things hanging from your rear-view mirror:<\/strong> believe it or not, I have seen someone get charged with a DUI because the officer initially pulled them over because they had an abundance of things hanging from their rear view mirror.\u00a0 The rule is that things hanging from you rear view mirror cannot cause an obstructed view.\u00a0 While you may not think your view is obstructed by your beads and graduation tassels, the officer might and it gives him an excuse to pull you over.<\/p>\n

6:\u00a0 Loud Music:<\/strong>\u00a0 It\u2019s a violation to listen to your music too loud.\u00a0 Cops love to pull people over for this.\u00a0 Turn it down.\u00a0 Besides, it annoys everyone around you.<\/p>\n

C) Driving Habits<\/h1>\n

As I said before, there are hundreds of laws regarding how we should drive.\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult to drive a few feet without breaking some minor traffic offense.\u00a0 When the cops are on the prowl, however, they are looking for people breaking these minor offenses.\u00a0 This list is by no means exhaustive; these are just some of the reasons I see most often:<\/p>\n

1) \u00a0Lane Changes:<\/strong> use your blinker.\u00a0 Not only is it illegal to make a lane change without it, but the officer can say you were swerving.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0 Carpool Lanes:<\/strong> Don\u2019t drive in them solo.<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0 Yellow Light, Red Light:<\/strong> If you can stop before the light turns red, do it.\u00a0 Don\u2019t speed up.\u00a0 Especially if you have been drinking and are trying to avoid getting pulled over.\u00a0 Of course, if you have been drinking a lot, the color of the light won\u2019t matter much.<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0 Speed:<\/strong> drive the speed limit.\u00a0 Not over, not under.<\/p>\n

5)\u00a0 Solid Lines:<\/strong> Be careful about crossing solid lines.\u00a0 Know when you can and when you can\u2019t.\u00a0 I saw a DUI case once where the reason the cop pulled them over, initially, was because they had crossed those little white lines when exiting the freeway; you know, the ones that guide you where to go on the off ramp?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t even know it was illegal to cross those.\u00a0 It is.<\/p>\n

6)\u00a0 Rolling Stops:<\/strong> Stop all the way at stop signs and red lights before you turn right.\u00a0 I had a driving instructor once tell me that you know you have stopped completely when your car bounces back a little.<\/p>\n

7)\u00a0 Limit Lines:<\/strong> stop behind them.\u00a0 I see people get pulled over for not stopping behind the limit line most frequently at lights and stop signs.\u00a0 You are to stop before the first line you come to, not the second.<\/p>\n

There you have it. Again, the best way to avoid DUI conviction is not to drink and drive at all.\u00a0 If you are going to have a little something to drink, however, and then drive, don’t give the police officers a reason to pull you over.\u00a0 If you find yourself pulled over for a DUI, give The Law Offices of Mark Gallagher<\/a> a call.\u00a0 We can help. 800-797-8406.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Obviously, the best, and most sure way to avoid DUI conviction, is to not consume alcohol.\u00a0 It is not even enough to only drink a bit so your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) is below the legal limit.\u00a0 Any measurable amount of alcohol in your system can lead to a DUI charge if the officer feels…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,5],"tags":[602,7,361,362,363,364],"class_list":["post-3966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-california-criminal-law-blog","category-california-dui-law-blog","tag-avoiding-a-dui","tag-dui","tag-dui-attorney-in-california","tag-dui-california","tag-dui-los-angeles","tag-dui-orange-county"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5345,"href":"https:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3966\/revisions\/5345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markagallagher.com\/socaldefenselawyers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}