Walk It Through: The Boat on the Lake
Beers on a pontoon, a marine officer alongside, a field breath test, and a DUI on the water.
After a few beers on the lake, the driver of a pontoon is waved over by a marine officer.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A pontoon on a lake. Water skiing, personal watercraft and commercial vessels follow the same rule, and their own licensing is left out.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Actual physical controlThe DUI law covers a person who drives a vehicle and also one who is in actual physical control of it while over the limit or under the influence.
- DUIDriving or being in actual physical control of a vehicle with 0.08 percent or more alcohol in the blood, or under the influence of alcohol or a substance to a degree that makes safe driving impossible.
- Implied consentAnyone who drives on Alabama's public highways is treated as having consented to a chemical test of blood, breath or oral fluid if lawfully arrested for an offense arising from driving under the influence.
- Probable causeThe ground an officer needs to arrest for a felony without a warrant, and the ground a search warrant issues on, supported by an affidavit.