How to Fight a Drunk Driving Charge

by Traverse City Drunk Driving Attorneys

Each day, our Traverse City drunk driving attorney team helps good people fight back against charges of drunk driving. A drunk driving charge in Traverse City is a serious offense. You may face jail time, loss of your driver’s license and steep penalties. Fortunately, you can fight back against the charges against you. Here’s how to fight a drunk driving charge in Traverse City:

Evaluate the traffic stop

The police can’t just stop anyone they suspect of drunk driving. In the United States, we have the right to be free of unlawful interference from the police. If you drive a car that isn’t fancy or if the police don’t like the way you look, they can’t just pull you over. Instead, they have to have a suspicion that you’re violating the law. If law enforcement stopped your vehicle without probable cause that something was up, you can ask the court to dismiss you Traverse City drunk driving charge.

Look at the field sobriety tests

After we evaluate the traffic stop in your case, our team of Traverse City drunk driving lawyers looks to see if the police gave you the field sobriety tests in the proper way. Too often, the police don’t follow the rules and they try to administer the tests in their own way. If they didn’t follow the rules, the “results” may not mean much in terms of proving the case against you.

Determine if the police gave the test property

Just like field sobriety tests, the police have rules to follow when they administer a chemical test. Our drunk driving lawyers in Traverse City carefully look to determine whether law enforcement followed their proper protocol in order to administer the test. If they make mistakes or intentionally skirted the rules, we can ask the court to throw out the test or tell the jury why the test is unreliable.

Carefully evaluate test results

A test result may not be as clear cut as the police might like to make it seem. It’s important to carefully scour a test result to see if it tells the entire story. We may need to work with a drunk driving expert witness in order to explain to the jury the entire case and why you’re not guilty of the offense.

Work with us

If you’re facing a drunk driving charge, contact our Traverse City drunk driving lawyer team. We’re ready to fight for you. No two cases are alike, and we give your case the time you deserve in order to maximize your chances for success. Contact us today, and let’s fight for you.