Walk It Through: Pulled Over In Florida
A digital license, a texting stop, the citation, and the breath test.
Lights behind you on the turnpike. The officer asks for your license.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One stop and one arrest. Whether a stop was lawful, the field sobriety tests, the criminal penalties for driving under the influence, and the school and work zone phone rule are not covered here.
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.
- Driver improvement courseThe basic course a driver without a commercial license cited for many infractions may elect instead; adjudication is withheld, the civil penalty is reduced by 18 percent, and no points are assessed.
- Noncriminal infractionWhat most traffic violations are charged as. A person who does not elect to appear pays the civil penalty, or enters a payment plan with the clerk, within 30 days after the citation is issued.
- Administrative suspensionThe suspension the officer starts by taking the license, with a 10 day temporary permit for a driver otherwise eligible. The driver may request a formal or informal review within 10 days after the notice issues.
- Driving under the influenceDriving or being in actual physical control of a vehicle while under the influence to the extent that normal faculties are impaired, or with a blood or breath alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
- Implied consentThe rule that a driver lawfully arrested for driving under the influence is deemed to have consented to a breath test, and to a urine test for chemical or controlled substances. Refusing suspends the privilege to drive for 1 year.