Every year, there are thousands of drunk driving accidents in the state of California, with many of them being fatal. For this reason, tackling drunk driving is a top priority for law enforcement.
Police officers can and do pull vehicles over if they suspect that the driver may be impaired. The key word here is ‘suspicion’. To lawfully pull you over, law enforcement must have a reasonable suspicion that the law has been broken.
Outlined below are some driving behaviors that could potentially arouse the suspicion of law enforcement:
Inadequate space between vehicles
When a car follows too closely behind the vehicle in front of them this is generally called tailgating. Sometimes, this is done out of aggression and on other occasions it can be completely accidental. It’s also a signal that the driver’s judgment may be impaired by alcohol or other substances. If you follow too closely behind a police officer to the point that it becomes dangerous, then they are almost certainly going to pull you over and conduct further inquiries.
Erratic driving
When you’re in a hurry the last thing you want to see is rows of traffic in front of you. Someone may be driving ridiculously slow or might even have pulled over at a hazardous place. However, if you become impatient and speed up to overtake or change lanes quickly, this could arouse the suspicion of law enforcement.
These behaviors aren’t necessarily criminal and they are certainly not proof of drunk driving in themselves. If you are facing unjustified charges then it’s vital to come up with a defense strategy. Having legal guidance on your side will put you in the best position to do this.