Police need a reason to stop a driver before determining that the driver is under the influence. They appear to have had one in a recent arrest in Florida, in which the driver was apparently going more than 100 miles per hour while under the influence.
The man is 21 years old, and the traffic stop happened on Friday, April 17. Reports claim that the Florida Highway Patrol was operating on interstate 275, running a very common speed enforcement setup. The young man went by the parked cruiser at 108 miles per hour.
The trooper who clocked him also said he was trying to make dangerous passes at high speeds, at times swerving his car over onto the shoulder of the road.
When asked, the man said he hadn’t been drinking but also that he didn’t have a driver’s license. Officers said that he smelled like alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot and he failed the field sobriety tests that they put him through.
Because of that, they arrested him and gave him a breath test. The legal limit in Florida, as in other states, is a BAC of 0.08%. The reports claim that the man blew more than double that limit when he finally took the test.
In a situation like this, the potential charges quickly start to compound one another. The man was apparently driving recklessly, speeding, driving without a license and driving while under the influence. The ramifications of that can be far greater than just getting arrested for being slightly over the limit. Those facing such serious charges always need to know their legal rights.