Few things could put a damper on the holidays as much as a DWI arrest on your record. A night of fun – whether at the company holiday party, a family Christmas gathering, or a New Year’s Eve party- can quickly turn into a nightmare that haunts you for years if not handled correctly.
In the event the lights and sirens go off behind you, here’s how to handle things:
- Be polite and remain calm: A traffic stop is not the time to make jokes or make sudden movements. Escalating the situation will not end well for you, so engage in polite dialogue with the police officer or state trooper and follow directions.
- Tell the truth (but don’t tell everything): Lying will always come back to haunt you. It’s as simple as this: if you lie to the police you’re going to get caught. However, you are not required to incriminate yourself and it is not a good idea to go into detail without a lawyer present to guide you.
- Skip the field sobriety test: You are not required to do this, and doing things like reciting the alphabet backwards will only make you look foolish and give the officers probable cause to do more probing.
- Call a lawyer as soon as possible: An experienced lawyer can make sure you don’t make a mistake in the early going that throws a wrench into your defense.
At Shazam Kianpour & Associates, we hope you have a safe and happy holiday season. But if you do get pulled over, you can count on us to protect your interests.