Important questions to ask after a DUI arrest

After you're arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in New York, it's time to start planning your criminal defense strategy. A good way to begin doing this is to sit down and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Were there any other people in the car? They may be able to offer important insights regarding what happened at the time of the arrest.

2. Did you do anything to give the officer probable cause to pull you over, as far as your driving is concerned? Examples including changing lanes without a blinker, swerving within the lane, or driving with your lights off at night.

3. What questions were you asked by the arresting officer? What answers did you give?

4. Did you take a breath test, were you given roadside tests, or did you do both?

5. If you took tests, what were the conditions like along the road? This can become important, for example, if you were trying to walk a straight line in mud or snow, or just on a bumpy road surface. These things could cause you to stumble or otherwise appear intoxicated.

6. Did you get any identifying information from the officer? This could include a badge number, a last name, or anything else along those lines.

7. Did you feel nervous while talking to the officer? This can sometimes cause you to fumble over answers to easy questions.

8. What are the exact details of the arrest? What road were you on, for instance, and what time was it?

9. What were the weather conditions like?

Once you've asked these questions to get you started, be sure to look into all of your legal options.