How Police Identify Drunk Drivers

While searching for drivers who might be driving under the influence of alcohol, police officers look for particular clues to tell them that a driver might be impaired. A research survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that police officers often consider the following factors when deciding whether to pull over a person who is under suspicion of drunk driving. In descending order from the most probable indicator, these factors include:

• Making wide turns
• Straddling the center stripe or shoulder marker rather than driving in between the lines
• Almost hitting an object or another vehicle
• Weaving back and forth across the lane
• Not driving on the designated highway
• Swerving
• Driving at speeds more than 10 mph below the speed limit
• Stopping in the traffic lane for no apparent reason
• Tailgating other drivers
• Drifting
• Driving with tires directly aligned with the lane marker stripes
• Erratic braking
• Driving in the opposite lane or through crossing traffic
• Using signals that do not correspond to the driver’s actions
• Responding slowly to traffic signals
• Stopping for no reason in areas other than the traffic lane
• Abrupt or illegal turns
• Rapid acceleration or deceleration
• Lack of headlights

Officers may pull a driver over and cite one of the above causes as the reason for the stop. If the driver is found to be intoxicated, the police officer may charge him or her with drunk driving.

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For help with your DUI charge, contact experienced Rhode Island drunk driving defense lawyer James Powderly today at 401-662-9006.