Walk It Through: The Stop on the Interstate
Blue lights after dark, a license left on the dresser, a passenger told to step out, and a question about the trunk.
Blue lights come on behind a car on the interstate after dark. The driver was going a little over the limit.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A routine speeding stop with no arrest. A DUI investigation, a dog sniff on separate suspicion, and a search on probable cause are left to their own pages.
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.
- Class D felonyThe lowest class of felony, punishable by one to five years.
- Driving under the influenceDriving or being in physical control of a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, under the influence of alcohol or another substance that impairs driving, or with a listed controlled substance in the blood.
- Physical injurySubstantial physical pain or any impairment of physical condition.
- WantonlyThe mental state in wanton endangerment: wantonly creating a substantial danger of physical injury, or in the first degree, of death or serious physical injury.