Walk It Through: Pulled Over In Missouri
A phone in the hand, the twenty minutes, and the refusal.
Lights behind you on the interstate. The officer says the stop was for speeding, and mentions the phone in your hand.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One stop and one arrest. Whether the stop was lawful, the roadside sobriety tests, the penalties after a conviction, and the under twenty one rules 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.
- Driving while intoxicatedOperating a vehicle in an intoxicated condition. A class B misdemeanor for a first offense, rising for prior and persistent offenders.
- Excessive blood alcohol contentOperating a vehicle with eight hundredths of one percent or more by weight of alcohol in the blood, a separate offense from driving while intoxicated.
- RefusalRefusing a chemical test, after which the officer takes the license and the director of revenue revokes it for one year.
- Twenty minutesThe time a person asked to take a chemical test, who asks to speak to an attorney, is given to try to contact one.
- Physically hold or supportWhat a driver may not do with a phone or other device while operating a vehicle, with any part of the body.