Sobriety Checkpoints and Your Rights

Sobriety checkpoints allow police officers to stop many drivers at one time to check for drunk drivers. Police officers look for many different signs that a driver may be driving while intoxicated, such as alcohol vapors in the car or on the driver’s breath or slurred speech. In the state of Colorado, the police must ask you for permission to search your vehicle at a sobriety checkpoint. If you are charged with DUI as a result of a sobriety checkpoint, contact a Colorado Springs DUI defense attorney immediately.

Officers at a sobriety checkpoint may ask you to perform several different types of tests to determine whether you will be charged with DUI. You may have to perform a field sobriety test or even a breathalyzer test on the site. These tests all have very strict guidelines regarding how they are given and how the samples are stored. An experienced Colorado Springs DUI defense attorney will be able to ensure that these tests were not only performed properly, but also that the samples were stored correctly in case they need to be retested.

You should also keep in mind that Colorado law requires that officers allow an alternate route for any drivers who are traveling along a route leading to a sobriety checkpoint. If you take the alternate route, officers cannot automatically pull you over and subject you to a sobriety test. If these options are not available at your sobriety checkpoint, you should immediately contact a Colorado Springs DUI defense attorney for help.

Knowing your rights is important in every aspect of your life, but especially with something as important as a sobriety checkpoint. If you are charged with a DUI as a result of being stopped at a sobriety checkpoint, contact a Colorado Springs DUI defense attorney who has experience with these types of cases so you can get the best representation possible.