2 Things to Do If You Get Pulled Over for OWI

13 May 2022
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OWI stands for operating while impaired. That means that you are suspected of driving while you are impaired by things like drugs or alcohol. Getting arrested for OWI can end up with a large fine or even jail time. If you do get pulled over because a police officer suspects you are operating while impaired, what should you do?

Pull-Over Calmly and Smoothly

One thing that you want to do is show that you are in control of your car. One way to do that is to pull your car over safely and smoothly. Safely means that you are pulling over somewhere that is going to not block traffic or is going to put you or the officer in danger. Smoothly means that you aren't overcompensating or erratically. Just slowly pull over and come to a stop. This may go a long way to proving to the officer that you aren't impaired in any way. 

Be Polite

You may be really stressed or frustrated because you have been pulled over. When that happens, you are more likely to get snappy or snarky just because your emotions may get the better of you. That's a natural human reaction. However, that is not the best reaction you could have. That's because it will irritate the officer who is pulling you over, and that is never a good thing to do. An irritated officer is one who is more likely to escalate the traffic stop. The easiest way to help keep that from happening is to be polite and respectful to the police officer. While you are being polite, you also don't want to volunteer any information. Only answer the questions that the police officer asks you and don't just go on and on trying to explain things. The more information you give the police officer, the more ammunition you are giving them against you. You want to minimize that, so politely and calmly only answer what they ask, and do it as concisely as possible. You also have the right to refuse to answer questions, get out of your car, or do field sobriety tests. 

Getting pulled over for OWI can be a problem. If you have been pulled over and gotten some negative consequences because of it, you need to have an attorney who can help you with your case. Make sure you tell your OWI attorney everything about your case so that he or she can defend you to the best of their ability.