Walk It Through: The Stop After the Wedding
A stop after a wedding, the question of a test, a notice of suspension, and a friend who wants the keys.
Leaving a wedding, a driver is stopped and the officer smells alcohol and asks for a breath test.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A first offense by an adult driver in a car. Commercial drivers, a second or third offense, the criminal refusal offense and an ignition interlock license are not worked through 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.
- Civil suspensionThe license suspension that follows an officer's affidavit of a refusal or a test at or over the limit, decided in its own hearing apart from the criminal case.
- Notice of intention to suspendThe notice an officer serves after a refusal or a test over the limit, with a form to request a hearing.
- Actual physical controlBeing in a position to operate a vehicle on a highway, which the impaired driving section treats like operating or attempting to operate it.