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DUI Myths
Did you know that only 4 traffic offense can occur on private property?
Thursday, 19 June 2008

umtcdGeorgia law, codified at O.C.G.A. § 40-6-3, provides for the applicability of the rules of the road on private property only Driving under the Influence, Hit and Run, Striking an Unattended Vehicle and Striking a Fixed Object upon a Highway can be violated on private property.   We have had Clayton County DUI cases were our client was driving at Southlake Mall without a seat belt.   The loop road around the mall is a private road.  It is not a through way as all access roads dead end into it.  The way you can tell if a roadway is public is if the road sides conform to normal road signs. Public road signs are govern by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  If the signs are shorter than normal or unusually decorative, i.e., carved wood, then its a private road.  Our client's DUI was dismissed because its is not a crime not to wear a seatbelt on private property and it is only a crime on public roadway. The stop was illegal.  No issue is too small to win a Georgia DUI.

 
How do you pass DUI field sobriety tests: Don't Take'em
Tuesday, 03 June 2008
A recent news story from Arizona raises an interesting question.  Heather Squires, 29 year old female, was arrested for DUI.  He blood test result came back at 0.00.  Not just sober, but stone cold sober.   She allegedly participated in voluntary DUI field sobriety evaluations.   One of two conclusions can be reached.  First, the field tests simply don't work.  Or Second, the DUI police officer did not perform the tests correctly.  Either result is hair raising.   This phenomenon is not exclusive to Arizona.  I have had a client that was arrested for DUI by a Forsyth County Sheriff's Deputy after field tests north of Atlanta, Georgia several years ago and the DUI blood tests came back 0.00.  Another client in Clayton County, South of Atlanta, Georgia was arrested for DUI and blew 0.02 on the Intox 5000.  He was over twenty-one and only 25% of the legal limit and arguably saver than a sober driver according to police breath testing training manuals.  Which raises an interesting question, How  do you pass DUI  voluntary field sobriety tests?  Short answer is you don't.   There are no criteria for passing only failing.  The criteria for faling are only 66%, 68% and 77% accurate for the One Leg Stand, Walk and Turn and Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus respectively according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Standardized Field Sobriety Tests Manual.  So unless you know you can pass the DUI field evaluations don't take them.  If you take them make sure you hire a qualified DUI attorney to challenge the these DUI field tests.
 
DUI Field Tests are not to see if your safe to drive home rather are just evidence for trial
Friday, 23 May 2008
If I have a penny for everytime I heard a Metro Atlanta DUI police officer say I smell alcohol would you mind performing voluntary field evaluations to see if you are safe to drive home.   That is just a lie.  If the police smell alcohol, they will more than likely be arresting you.  They are not testing you to see if you are safe to drive, rather they are testing you to make sure they have enough evidence to force you to plead guilty or be convicted during a DUI trial.  Don't be fooled.  Ask to speak to a lawyer.  Ask if you are under arrest.  Ask if you are free to leave.  Ask if they are going to take you to jail even if you do not perform the tests.  Ask questions.  The more questions you ask, the more likely they are to coerce you to take the tests or give you faulty or illegal advice.  Field tests are designed for your to fail.  Never take the eye tests or HGN.  If you feel okay you can take the walk and turn and the one leg stand.  Agree to take the portable hand held breath test if they will show you the result.  If they refuse, you know they are not trying to help you.  You can lose your license if your refuse to take the State Administered breath or blood test at the police station, jail, breath testing RV or hospital but fewer than 5% of clients that I have represented in the last 15 years have actually suffered a one year license suspension.  It is much easier to fight a less safe DUI in Georgia than a per se or alcohol concentration DUI.  
 
"They never read me my rights:" The Miranda Misunderstanding
Friday, 31 August 2007

I recently spoke with a gentleman in a Metro Altanta DUI Court who was woefully misinformed.  As he complained that our country was going to Hades in a Handbasket, he suggested that we replace the Constitution that has served this Country for over 200 years with his Common Sense rule.  Everybody still gets a trial he told me, due process you know, but nobody gets there case thrown out because of Miranda.  I thought to ask him if he understood Miranda, but soon realized that this would be on par with flogging a dead equine.  In reality no one's "case" gets thrown out because they weren't read Miranda rights.  Miranda rights serve to exclude statements made to police in response to police questioning after arrest for those who have not been read their Miranda Rights, i.e., you have the right to remain silent, if you talk or answer questions it will be used against you at trial, you have a right to an attorney.  That's it. Spontaneous statements are not included in the Miranda Rule.  No one's case gets thrown out because they weren't read Miranda unless their is no case in the first place.  Typically, the police have to have reasonably competent evidence of a crime or probable cause before they arrest you anyway.   Finally, don't confuse Miranda rights with DUI rights or Georgia Implied Consent.  With the Georgia DUI Implied Consent rights, Miranda does not apply.  You can not remain silent.  You have to answer their questions about taking the state administered chemical test in Georgia.  If you remain silent, Georgia DUI Appellate Courts deem that a refusal and you can lose your license for a minimum of one year.  There is a DUI exception to the Constitution in Georgia Courts in almost every regard. 

 
Field Evaluations: Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus or Eye Test, No one does that voodoo like you do
Thursday, 17 May 2007

Is the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus or eye twitching test the most scientific test? Yes, if done by a medical doctor in a dark room by not by a Police Officer on a busy freeway.  Nystagmus simply means a jerking of the eye due to disequilibrium.  Nystagmus may be caused by over 43 other factors. In State v. Witte, 251 Kan. 313, 326, 836 P.2d 1110, 1119 (1992), the Court wrote:

Nystagmus can be caused by problems in an individual's inner ear labyrinth. In fact, irrigating the ears with warm water or cold water...is a source of error. Physiological problems such as certain kinds of diseases may also result in gaze nystagmus. Influenza, streptococcus infections, vertigo, measles, syphilis, arteriosclerosis, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Korsakoff's Syndrome, brain hemorrhage, epilepsy, and other psychogenic disorders all have been shown to cause nystagmus. Furthermore, conditions such as hypertension, motion sickness, sunstroke, eyestrain, eye muscle fatigue, glaucoma, and changes in atmospheric pressure may result in gaze nystagmus. The consumption of common substances such as caffeine, nicotine, or aspirin also lead to nystagmus almost identical to that caused by alcohol consumption. (Quoting Pangman, Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus: Voodoo Science, 2 DWI J. 1, 3-4 [1987])

Further, Head Injuries, diseases, strobe lights, and sudden changes  in temperature just to name a few.   There are 3 clues which involve a number of passes each.   Each pass requires certain timing elements.  For Example, the nystagmus at maximum deviation the stimulus must be held a maximum deviation for a minimum of 4 seconds and nystagmus be both present and sustained well after 4 seconds because even sober people exhibit nystagmus prior to four seconds at maximum deviation.  The final pass must be done so slowly that it takes 4 seconds to reach 45 degrees which is usually the shoulder or as far over as the stimulus is from the persons face (13 inches out then 13 inches over etc).  45 degrees is supposed to equal 0.08 grams of alcohol in a persons blood so no nystagmus prior to 45 degrees equals under the limit.  However if the Officer holds the pen 6 inches out from the eye then 45 degrees is only 6 inches over or just past the ear.  Can you see how this test is easy to mess up? 

 

No legal advice should be obtained from the web site alone. To obtain legal advice, please call (770) 961-5511 or email George C. Creal, Jr., P.C. at firm@georgialawyer.com. George C. Creal, Jr., P.C. is Georgia Professional Corporation authorized to practice law in the State of Georgia only and all information contained in this web site is intended for use for DUI/DWIs occuring in the State of Georgia. Individuals with DUI/DWIs from outside the State of Georgia should contact a licensed attorney in the state of occurrence of their DUI. Copyright © 2006 George C. Creal, Jr. P.C.