Hyattsville, MD asked in DUI / DWI for Maryland

Q: What types of steps are police officers allowed to take to confirm someone has been driving under the influence?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Thomas J. Maronick Jr
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Thomas J. Maronick Jr
Answered
  • DUI & DWI Lawyer
  • Glen Burnie, MD
  • Licensed in Maryland

A: The field sobriety tests are the primary tests. They allow the officer to make a determination as to whether they have probable cause to make an arrest IF the tests are properly conducted AND the officer had reasonable grounds to be able to even ask for the tests. One test not specifically part of SFTS (abbreviation for the tests) is the PBT. That is the preliminary breath test. That gives the officer an idea of a person's blow score at the time. As we tell our clients at The Law Offices of Thomas Maronick Jr, this test is inadmissable as evidence of intoxication, but they are useful for an officer to get a sense of how much alcohol is in one's system. These devices for the PBT are actually available commercially to the general public. But the PBT is very unscientific compared to the intoximeter test, which is done AT the station after an arrest.

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