Drunk driving charges can wreak havoc on your life. They can significantly damage your reputation and threaten you with jail time, fines, and license suspension or revocation. In other words, if you’ve been charged with drunk driving then you’re probably stressed about having so much on the line. This might be especially true if you think there’s a lot of evidence against you that a prosecutor can rely upon to obtain a conviction.
This last fact alone, though, shouldn’t prevent you from considering your criminal defense options. This is because you might be able to suppress some or all of the evidence being used against you or draw its validity into question. This may be especially true when you didn’t submit to a breathalyzer or blood test and the prosecution’s case rests solely on an officer’s observations and the results of a field sobriety test.
Field sobriety tests are far from perfect. This is because they require clear and appropriate instructions, as well as accurate observations on an officer’s part, in order to have a chance of being valid. However, in far too many instances, officers give confusing instructions or misread a driver’s actions as behaviors that are indicative of intoxication. They may not take other contributing factors into consideration, such as a medical condition, uneven pavement, or even the type of shoes you were wearing when a field sobriety test was conducted. These factors could greatly diminish the impact of this evidence.
This is just one of the many criminal defense tactics you might be able to utilize in an attempt to obtain lesser penalties, reduced charges, acquittal, or even a dismissal. The legal strategy that works best for you is entirely dependent upon the facts at hand. This means that you need a personalized legal approach, not cookie cutter representation. Fortunately, there are criminal defense attorneys who stand ready to provide that assistance and advocate for you every step of the way.
