Regardless of how you feel about DUI checkpoints, members of law enforcement tend to love them. This is because these roadblocks are generally effective at identifying motorists who have blood alcohol concentrations over Florida’s 0.08% legal limit.
You can get into a great deal of trouble at a DUI roadblock. If you do not want the hassle or risk of proceeding through one, you may wonder whether it is legal to turn your vehicle to avoid the checkpoint. The answer is probably yes, although you must be careful.
You must make legal maneuvers
To protect motorists and officers, members of law enforcement usually must place signs that identify the location of the checkpoint. If you see one of these signs, you can turn your vehicle to avoid it. Still, you must do so legally. If you make illegal maneuvers in your vehicle, officers have a legally valid reason to stop you.
You must drive reasonably
Even if you technically follow the law, you may draw the attention of patrol officers. For example, you may reduce your car’s speed to well below posted limits. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, if officers believe you are driving unreasonably, they probably have reasonable suspicion to pull over your vehicle to determine if you are driving under the influence.
You must not have a car accident
Even if you follow the law and drive reasonably, turning to avoid a checkpoint may increase your car accident risk. This is especially true if other drivers are also trying to miss the roadblock. Put simply, if you have a car accident near a roadblock, you can expect officers to respond to it.
Ultimately, while it is possible to turn to avoid a DUI roadblock, you should have a strategy for dealing with officers should they decide to stop your vehicle.
