What Should You Do If Pulled Over for DUI in Atlanta?

Atlanta Municipal Court

As an Atlanta DUI Lawyer, I get a lot of questions regularly - in particular some preventative inquiries, such as “What should I do if I get pulled over for DUI in Atlanta?”

If you are pulled over for a traffic violation such as failure to maintain lane or speeding, and the officer begins to ask you questions about DUI, then it is important to remember a few tips.

These tips include:

Keep your license and registration in an easily accessible place. Do this so as to avoid fishing for these documents when you are stopped. Searching frantically and getting yourself even more flustered is not good for you impression on the officer.

Keep your hands on the wheel after you have handed over the requested documents. This is a good initial step as it lets the officer know they are in a safe situation. You do not want to make the officer feel threatened or suspicious of you in any way. If you need to reach for something that is not visible, let the officer know what you are reaching for and make sure he or she is okay you doing so.

Do not volunteer information in an attempt to seem more cooperative or on the off chance that the officer will just decide to let you go. This one's important. Be courteous, but please limit what you say. Remember… “anything you say can and will be held against you…” No matter how inconsequential something you say may seem, there is a chance it could being used against you later on. Making unnecessary concessions in an attempt to ‘cooperate' will not mitigate the charges you could get. If anything, it could add to them, or give a prosecutor more evidence against you.

Along the same lines - absolutely do not answer pointed questions. These questions can include:

Where are you coming from?

How much have you had to drink?

When was your last meal? 

Officers are trained to get information. You are only required to answer questions that help establish your identity. Anything beyond that is potentially self-incriminating, and you have the right against self-incrimination. If you are not sure if an answer to a question will incriminate you, as a good rule of thumb, do not answer it. The vast majority of evidence for DUI charges is collected during the stop.

Practice Note

Call our offices today if you are facing a DUI charge. An Atlanta DUI Attorney can help you now.  We can help you with your DUI in the City of Atlanta Municipal Court.