Field Sobriety Test Trip Report

[IggyWH]

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Police just don't let drunk drivers go home with nothing happening to them.

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This isn't the case everywhere. I know one city where the department tells the cops not to give DUI's as a matter of policy, and there are many localities where DUI enforcement just isn't a priority. I can't even tell you how many people I know that have gotten pulled over shitfaced, checked for warrants and sent on their way.

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This I don't believe for a second. There's no way a cop is going to pull someone over and then just let them go when they know they are drunk. If that person gets into an accident, guess whose ass it is?

This is clearly why they wouldn't let me drive home. They didn't have anything on me, but at the same time, they couldn't just let me drive home incase something happened to me on the way.

[StevieG]

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*On a little side note here, why the hell to cops do that? If you're going to pull someone over, PULL THEM THE EFF OVER!! Don't go tailgating them, following them for a while when you know you're pulling them over anyways*


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This delay is to observe you for signs of DUI.

[Cosimo]

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This isn't the case everywhere. I know one city where the department tells the cops not to give DUI's as a matter of policy, and there are many localities where DUI enforcement just isn't a priority. I can't even tell you how many people I know that have gotten pulled over shitfaced, checked for warrants and sent on their way.

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I've been pulled over (doing 70 in a 55, he said), given a field sobriety, 2:30am, I'd been drinking -- and he said "because you've been drinking, I'm not going to give you a ticket."

I don't know if they were looking for an easier prosecution or if they just wanted to put the fear of The Man into me or what, but no ticket.

[CheckRaise]

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Police just don't let drunk drivers go home with nothing happening to them.

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This isn't the case everywhere. I know one city where the department tells the cops not to give DUI's as a matter of policy, and there are many localities where DUI enforcement just isn't a priority. I can't even tell you how many people I know that have gotten pulled over shitfaced, checked for warrants and sent on their way.

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This I don't believe for a second. There's no way a cop is going to pull someone over and then just let them go when they know they are drunk. If that person gets into an accident, guess whose ass it is?

This is clearly why they wouldn't let me drive home. They didn't have anything on me, but at the same time, they couldn't just let me drive home incase something happened to me on the way.

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You have obviously never lived in Wisconsin. I have been with people numerous times when they are pulled over [censored] faced on some back country road. The cops just told them to drive straight home. This only happened in rural areas and I'm sure no big city PD would ever let you go if they thought you were drunk.

[Macdaddy Warsaw]

heh, my field sobriety test is pretty funny. I was under-age at the time (still am) and was driving around with this chick (we had a history of going on late night drives). Well, earlier we had been at a party but then decided to just leave cause it was pretty lame. I'm all about not driving drunk, but I knew I was sober enough to drive at this point and then maybe 40 minutes later we get pulled over (my license plate light was apparantly out). I have to take the field sobriety test (which is [censored] hard wearing a T-Shirt and Jeans in 40ºF weather and nervous as all get out) and then they give me this breathalyzer and I come up at .02 (which is actually borderline for someone my age). Anyway, they ask the girl I'm with if she can drive and she says Yeah.

The thing is, when we get in the car with her behind the driver's seat, I look at her and say, "You're too drunk to drive, aren't you?" and she says, "Oh yeah."

We drive far enough away to get away from the cops and we switch back. How the cops didn't figure out she was over the legal limit (she was over 21, so .10 or .08 or whatever it is) is beyond me, but I still enjoy the fact that they managed to put a drunk driver behind the wheel.

[mmcd]

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This only happened in rural areas and I'm sure no big city PD would ever let you go if they thought you were drunk.


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Actually, the place I know where the department doesn't give them as a matter of policy is a medium-sized city. Law enforcement is very lax there overall. Basically, if it doesn't involve a gun, the cops really don't give a [censored].

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

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I think you were full of [censored] here and don't want to admit it

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Nope, as I already said, I had 1 16 oz beer (Lumpy Dog) at Rock Bottom, 1 sip of Saki at Yokoso and 1 Mandarin & Cranberry at Bar Louie over a 3 hour period.

Not sure why you don't believe someone can have self control when drinking.

If I was lying, how in the hell would I have gotten off without anything happening to me? Police just don't let drunk drivers go home with nothing happening to them. They knew I was sober.

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Let me amend: It is quite possible that what you are saying is 100% true. Statistically speaking, the likelihood that someone claiming to have had two beers actually having had only two beers is small. Cops will tell you that almost everyone pulled over claims to have had "two beers," even those who later test with a BAL of over 0.20. Just going off the probabilities here. Sorry to have questioned your honesty.

[slamdunkpro]

If you know you’re under the limit, then politely refuse the “stupid human tricks” motor skill test by telling them that you have a bad knee/ankle and are dyslexic; then ask for the breath test. A lot of times if it’s a “fishing” stop they’ll just let you go.

Man, you all are lucky. Let me tell you what it's like in Albuquerque.

Ever since some drunk driver got on the wrong side of I-40 and killed a family of four on Christmas Eve a while back, and ever since studies showed that overall, we're excellent at driving while drunk, New Mexico and Albuquerque specifically have been on crazy DWI high alert.

First of all, yes, DWI is bad. That's why we have laws against it. However, the laws and the system around here are set up so you are guilty first and if there's any chance at all, you're going to jail.

Not only do we have cops itching to pull you over, we have checkpoints set up at surprise locations around the city. Everybody going through is pulled over and asked "have you had anything to drink tonight?" To me, this is unreasonable search, no probable cause, but what do I know. Here's how ridiculous it got for a friend of mine. No, it really wasn't me.

He was hanging out one evening and had one or two beers early on. He's got a fairly high tolerance, so what is two beers to him. Anyways, after more than two hours of not drinking, he leaves the bar with another friend. They're both server certified, and they agree he was damn near sober. He's driving down San Mateo, and lookee here, he spots a checkpoint two miles in front of him. He figures "I'm fine" so he decides not to evade the checkpoint. He figured wrong.

They ask him the question. "Yes, two beers about two hours ago." "Step out of the vehicle." No hesitation. Once you do that here, they have to give you a FST. So screw the honesty angle.

They send him over to get his FST from Mr. Drill Instructor cop with a "guilty until proven innocent" look on his face. The cop starts barking at him "stand on one foot!" So he raises it up with his knee. "No! Straighten your knee out! Keep your foot six inches off the ground!" So he does. "Now, count backwards from forty to one." So he starts counting, with a flashlight in his face. "Count faster!" He wobbles. "Keep your foot up!" He reaches twenty-five and his foot touches the ground. Failure.

I tried this sober, and I couldn't do it without at least wobbling, which is strike one.

Next one. Walk in a straight line, heel to toe, while holding your arms out and alternate touching your nose with your right and left finger. So much as a wobble or hesitation, failure.

Apparently, there are over a hundred points on a FST. If you fail three, you're DWI.

So they give him the breathalyzer. Never mind that chewing Altoids will make you blow .02. He blows .03. Our legal limit is .08. So he thought he was in the clear. Negative. They made him blow four times until it hit .04 once. Bingo! You can get hauled in for that. Then they impounded his car, put him in the paddywagon, and hauled him off for a sleepover.

Eventually, he was found not guilty. But after three grand for court costs and lawyer fees, missed work time, arrest on his record, and all the F@#$ing hassle, what's the difference?

Here's the difference. An older friend of mine got busted for DWI about sixteen years ago. Not me either, I couldn't drive or drink sixteen years ago. Convicted, did his probation and whatever else he had to do. That comes off your record after fifteen years I think. Well, fourteen years and eleven months after his first one, he got another one. Didn't harm anybody, wasn't falling down drunk either time. Jail time. Six months house arrest with an ankle bracelet. Lost his license for a year. He used to be a pizza delivery guy. Now he can't get a CDL any more. So he lost his job.

Of course, we also get a story on the news once a week about some lowlife who's got seventeen DWI convictions and still driving around with no license and no insurance.

How's that system for getting drunks off the streets? Bottom line, it's not working.

So, don't drink and drive. But if you're in ABQ and a little tipsy behind the wheel, take the freeways (!!) because they don't have checkpoints. Or steer clear of any checkpoints, even if you had one beer six hours ago. If you get pulled over, and the cop asks, I don't care if you can't see straight...the answer is "no."

That's how it works in ABQ.

Oh, and recommendations for PF Chang's:

- LETTUCE WRAPS
- black bean chicken
- mongolian beef
- honey shrimp
- salt and pepper calamari
- the banana spring roll dessert

ScottieK

Don't sweat it man, you got off easy. Even if a cop can smell it on you, and you say no, he may justify in his mind that it could be strong mints or whatever and what the hell, you're driving reasonably sober-like. Say "one beer six hours ago" around here, and that's your ass.

Man, I need a drink.

ScottieK