DUI / DWI

General information for drivers in Ohio being investigated for suspected impaired driving charges (by alcohol or drugs)

• Never answer ANY questions about consuming alcohol and drugs. Remain silent and immediately request an attorney's advice. If arrested, do not resist the officer and answer NO questions concerning if, when, or where you may have been or what you drank. Do NOT consent to a search of your vehicle.
• Do NOT submit to ANY roadside sobriety or agility tests, eye tests, and especially a hand-held breath device without speaking to a lawyer. All field tests are voluntary, HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE, and are designed to incriminate you. Tell the police officer "I want to talk to a lawyer before I say or do anything."
• Politely ask to leave the scene, by cab or on foot, without your keys (even if your car is towed away), if arrest can be avoided by doing so. Never run from or try to elude police officers. Ask for permission to call a cab or friend to come to get you to avoid arrest.
• If you have never been convicted of DUI / DWI charge, politely decline any police test(s) of your blood, breath or urine until and unless you first consult with a lawyer.
• If you have never been convicted of a DUI / DWI charge, a refusal will trigger a one-year minimum license suspension by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, for an Ohio-licensed driver and may affect a non-resident's driving priveleges in his or her own state. The judge can give you limited driving priveleges at this time. Please note, a refusal to take a breath test if you have never been convicted, will trigger a one year license suspension.