DUIs’ and Anonymous Tips
Many DUI victims have a similar story. They were at a friend’s house, had a few beers, and decided to drive home. When we are in a situation where we are surrounded by friends we never imagine something bad can happen. We drink, we have fun, and forget about the consequences. After the party is over, we are feeling good, a little buzzed, and we just want to get home and sleep.
Even if you feel like you are below the legal limit, somebody you are hanging out with may think differently. We all know drinking and driving is wrong, and even though you are with your friends, one of them may start to feel guilty about letting you leave the house/bar drunk.
It is never a good idea to drink or drive, the reason people do it is because they think they can get away with it. Some people even pride themselves on being good at drinking and driving. No matter how confident you are, you can’t escape an anonymous tip. Legally speaking, it’s now the law of the land.
A recent Supreme Court case recently held that law enforcement can pull you over based off an anonymous tip. Navarette v. California U.S. (Docket No. 12-9490)(2014). This is significant in the legal world because the cop didn’t have probable cause to pull over the vehicle. So even if a drunk driver is driving perfectly, they are still at risk of getting a DUI, or worse, causing an accident.
So even if you consider yourself an expert at keeping your composure after a few beers, never rule out the possibility that somebody you were with wants you off the road. This is just another reason to never drink and drive because eventually you will get caught.