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The top mistakes drivers make at sobriety checkpoints

On Behalf of | Jan 24, 2025 | Drunk Driving

Drivers generally want to reach their destinations as quickly as possible. They may plan their routes to avoid construction and other obstacles. Unfortunately, drivers on busy roads or approaching particularly well-traveled intersections could encounter a police roadblock.

A sobriety checkpoint or drunk driving roadblock allows local law enforcement agencies to screen dozens of drivers quickly for impairment at one location. Motorists often don’t know how to handle checkpoints. They can make mistakes that increase their risk of getting arrested and prosecuted for drunk driving. The following are some of the most common mistakes motorists make when they notice a checkpoint ahead.

Completing an illegal maneuver

Technically, drivers have the right to try to avoid a checkpoint if they can do so safely. Unfortunately, many drivers make the mistake of conducting an illegal traffic maneuver when they spot a checkpoint ahead. They could then be subject to a one-on-one traffic stop where they face heightened scrutiny from police officers.

Oversharing with officers

People approaching checkpoints often hope that they can talk their way through. They believe that if they are amiable and cooperative, then officers are less likely to detain them. Unfortunately, the information that they volunteer could put them at risk. Drivers have an obligation to identify themselves and to provide information about vehicle registration and insurance. They do not have to answer police questions and can invoke their right to remain silent verbally during an encounter at a checkpoint in most cases.

Becoming combative

Being overly compliant is a dangerous choice when interacting with law enforcement professionals. Drivers also put themselves at unnecessary risk when they become too aggressive in their response to police officers. Those declining field sobriety tests can do so calmly and politely rather than in a rude or aggressive manner.

Giving up and pleading guilty

Individuals arrested at impaired driving checkpoints have the same right to defend against their charges as anyone else accused of breaking the law. A significant percentage of those arrested at checkpoints plead guilty, possibly because they assume that the state has compelling evidence. However, there are likely defense options available even after a checkpoint arrest.

Exploring what happened at a drunk driving checkpoint with a skilled legal team can help drivers plan a reasonable defense strategy. Those who learn from the mistakes that others have made may have a better chance of defeating their pending charges.

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Travis L. Noble is a graduate of the National College for DUI Defense at Harvard University, and he lectures at seminars nationwide on DWI/DUI topics. He is the lawyer whom other lawyers consult to defend their DWI clients. Most importantly, he has a track record of successfully defending some of the toughest DWI cases in Missouri and beyond.

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