It’s happened to more than one New Jersey driver in the past week: cruising down the road after a luncheon with business associates, coming home from a good friend’s bachelor party, or even going to the supermarket to pick up some groceries. These all sound normal enough, and they are, but for one added element: being stopped by a police officer for some minor traffic infraction. Whether it was a turn without signaling, a rolling stop in a quiet neighborhood or maybe just a burned-out taillamp, either way, one could be looking at a pricey ticket for one or more traffic violations, unless….
Unless the driver in question appears to the patrolman to exhibit some of the “typical” signs of being drunk behind the wheel. If a driver has had a drink or two previous to the traffic stop, then that individual could have trouble down the road, since many police officers are extremely suspicious of driver who exhibit signs of being intoxicated. As New Jersey DWI defense lawyers, I and my legal staff are committed to representing individuals who have been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs and even controlled dangerous substances (CDSs), also known as drug DUI.
We’ll say right now that if you or anyone you know ever thinks you may have had too much to drink, save yourself the trouble of possibly being stopped on the road by a New Jersey state patrol officer or a municipal officer and risk being charged with DWI or DUI.
Recently, we saw a number of DWI and related arrested mentioned in several so-called police blotter columns in the news. These incidents, which occurred in Ocean and Union counties, provided a smattering of the typical kinds of drunken driving arrests that happen on a daily basis all across the state. As drunken driving attorneys, we know how easily a motorist can be tagged by a police officer for what may seem like a minor infraction only to be slapped with a drunk driving charge, maybe even more. Consider the following as object lessons in what not to do, and what to expect should you decide to take a chance with the law.
