Talk Your Way Out of a DUI in Denver

Disclaimer: A Class Bail Bonds does NOT advocate drinking and driving. However we recognize that the justice system rarely, if ever, delivers justice fairly, so we do strongly advocating taking all steps to protect your freedom.

20% of Americans admit to getting behind the wheel within 2 hours of drinking alcohol within the past year, as little as one or two drinks can put you over the legal limit. If you fall into this statistic occasionally this article will present some best practices, and, yes, some clever things to say to talk you way out of a DUI or DWAI. Best Practices for Staying Out of Legal Trouble Designate a driver - Carpool with a few friends to the party or bar and pick someone who will stay sober and be the designated driver. Make a conscious effort to involve this person in the social fun of the evening so they don’t feel left out. Also if someone has been drinking and you have not, drive their car to whatever destination.

Avoid thoroughfares and highways - You are more likely to get pulled over by a cop patrolling or a hit a DUI checkpoint when cruising the main traffic arteries of your city, taking a freeway off ramp or while in the central part of your metropolitan area. Use Google Maps to find a sideroads route to and from the party destination. Also the more popular a bar or party is the more likely a cop is sitting just down the road. In Denver steer clear of major roads like Arapahoe, Parker, Colfax, Leetsdale, Broadway/Lincoln, etc Keep gum or mints in your car at all times - To cover your stinky drinky breath! Buy a large economy size package of gum or mints at the candy aisle of the grocery store as opposed buying packages individually at a gas station where they cost more.

Avoid DUI high times - Driving your car late on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday evening or from a popular sporting event you are at a much high risk of being stopped on suspicion of drinking and driving.

Avoid conspicuous behavior - Pay extra attention to responsible driving; drive the speed limit exactly, come to a complete stop at stop signs and keep your eyes on the road as opposed to the radio or your phone.

Make sure your car is inconspicuous - A surprisingly high proportion of people who get DUI’s get them because they had a tail lights out or expired tags. When you are sober, before you leave for the party destination, check your vehicle to make sure all your lights and blinkers are working.

Party close to home - Find bars or parties in your neighborhood or area of town to minimize the distance you are driving after drinking. Better yet find bars or parties that you can walk or take an affordable taxi ride too.

Don’t look like you’ve been partying - If you are wearing a fancy shirt, party hat or a sexy outfit put a sweatshirt on over it or throw it in the trunk before you leave the party destination.

Also, and this should be common sense, throw away any empty bottle that are left in your before leaving the party destination.

So the flashing lights come on behind you and your less than sober mind momentarily panics: Pop in a piece of gum - or two, don’t chew it conspicuously while talking to the cop.

Roll down the windows or sunroof - Circulates fresh air into the car and the alcohol smell from your breath out of the car. The film Busted! The Citizen’s Guide to Surviving Police Encounters recommends that you keep all windows rolled up except for your drivers side window, which you roll down just enough to talk to the officer, that way minimizing what the officer can see or smell in the car. So it might be a good idea to roll the windows down while you are decelerating and pulling over, then roll them back up, if you can do this without it being too suspicious. If you have two or three non alcoholic drinks before leaving the party, pop in a piece of gum and maybe even a air freshener it’s unlikely your car is going to reek or alcohol unless you’ve just been pounding shots of tequila or whiskey all night long. If the officer does mention the smell of liquor mention that you took a friend home who had been drinking.

Place your hands on the steering wheel - Police prefer this so they can see where your hands are?

Greet the officer - Take the initiative and begin the interaction: Good evening officer, why did you pull me over?

Talk Your Way Out of a DUI In most states lying to a police officer (or any other public servant) is not actually illegal unless you are in court. So if the cop is aggressively asking you questions that seem to be leading to a DUI, give answers that establish yourself as an upstanding citizen.

Deny drinking and driving - The last thing you want to tell the officer is that you have been drinking, this almost ensures that you will be getting a DUI and obligates the officer to give you a sobriety or breathalyzer test.

Your destination is closeby - After being pulled over late at night the cop will a lot of times ask where you are going. If you tell them your home or destination is closeby they will typically wish you a nice evening and send you on your way. Once I was pulled over at 6AM after a very long night, I told the officer that I was going to a gym I knew of a few blocks away. The officer took a quick look at my ID and sent me on my way.

You’re going to or from hospital - Hospitals are open 24 hours a day so it’s makes a great alibi for being out on the roads at an odd hour. Everyone (cops included) feels sorry and is likely to show compassion for someone who has to visit a friend or family member who is in hospital.

You’re going to the airport - Picking up a friend or family member from the airport is also a plausible reason to be out driving at time most people are sleeping.

You were at a church social event or evening service - Find out what churches are in the area (If you don’t know Google Map search it on your mobile phone in the minute between stopping by the side of the road and the cop walking up to your window) and have a bible sitting in your passenger seat so your story is convincing.

3rd party credibility - Mention your close family member or friend who was a cop (in another city, years ago of course) or was involved in a tragic drinking a driving accident motivating thoroughly you to never drink or drive.

Admit to being tired & apologize - A person driving while tired often makes the same mistakes as a person driving while inebriated but driving while tired is not illegal. So if the cop

seems convinced that have been drinking admit to driving tired. Say something like this ‘Officer, I probably should be in bed right now. I’ve been up since 6AM this morning and am very tired.

If you think it’s a good idea I can call someone to come pick me up. I have a family member who lives nearby.’ Being tired also makes a great excuse for doing poorly on the coordination sobriety test.

Your Contacts or Glasses - If you wear contacts or glasses, they can also make a great excuse for poor driving that got you pulled over. If you leave your contacts in too long they can fog over impairing your vision, this works great in concert with the ‘I’m tired’ explanation.

Refuse the breathalyzer - Unless it’s been many hours since you’ve had a drink. Chances are you have a detectable blood alcohol level, which guarantees you a DUI or DWAI. So just say no to the breathalyzer test. Cops will threaten to take away your license for a year as a result of refusing to take a breathalyzer. However, your attorney can fight this in court later and it’s still significantly less expensive and hassle than a DUI. The sobriety test - This involves walking a straight line, balancing on one leg, saying the alphabet backwards, etc unless you are very drunk or particularly uncoordinated opt to take this sobriety test instead. The flashlight test: This involves the cop shining their flashlight in your eyes and your ability to follow the light. The trick to passing it is to keep your head completely still, only move your eyes.

Play the conspiracy theorist card - If you have been drinking you want to avoid at all costs taking a breathalyzer or blood test which will give the cops irrefutable proof in court. So play the conspiracy theorist card when you refuse the breathalyzer test; tell the officer you don’t believe breathalyzers accurately detect BAC. If brought to the hospital for a blood test, refuse it because you are afraid of needles or think they will give you AIDS or whatever.

Officer are you detaining me or am I free to go? - This is the line that the citizens rights group FlexYourRights.org recommends you use to legal dismiss yourself from a police encounter.

Exercise your rights - If you cop is asking you leading questions that seem to incriminate you for a traffic offense simply tell the officer: “I’m sorry I prefer not to answer that question without consulting my attorney.” Also don’t give the officers permission to search your vehicle. If they search it without your permission it’s grounds to have your case thrown out of court later.

Most cops have some basic training in deception detection, so it’s ok to look a little nervous but avoid these obvious ‘tells’ that you are lying: ● Momentarily covering your mouth or touching your face. ● Touching yourself around the collar, touching your hair or scratching the back of your head. ● Conspicuous swallowing or moving of the Adams apple. ● Remember the cardinal rule of lying: the truth is the best tool in the service of lies. So If you are going to lie to a cop in the ways we suggest above, mix some truth with your fictions. You will come across as more believable and won’t have to keep track of so many details of dubious veracity.

If pulled over practice confident body language: keep your hands at your sides, you movements slow along with sitting or standing up straight.

I’ve never gotten a DUI or alcohol related offense, primarily because I’m very responsible with my social drinking. I’m not an attorney so this article is for entertainment purposes; the advice given in it is a result of comparing various acquaintances experiences with DUIs, a social dynamics background and consulting a very knowledgeable Denver DUI attorney.

If you are arrested... Even following the advice given above you still stand a good chance of being arrested if you drink and drive in Colorado. If you or a loved one finds themselves behind bars contact A Class Bail Bonds today! The Bail Bond Lady is the Denver bail bonds value

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