Boaters can face serious criminal penalties if they are arrested on intoxicated boating charges. These cases may be complicated by unreliable evidence provided by the police, however. This issue can occur because some police officers may try to submit field test data from sobriety tests done on the water. Given the nature of these assessments, testing on the water may render these tests invalid.
If you have been charged with BUI and the case against you is dependent upon evidence which is unreliable, a skilled and experienced attorney can help you to challenge their admissibility. For committed and vigorous legal representation, contact the Lynnwood field sobriety tests on the water attorneys of Cowan Kirk at 866-822-1230 today.
The Problem with Field Sobriety Tests on the Water
A person going through a field sobriety test may be asked to complete several tasks that require a strong sense of balance. While these might be used as measures of sobriety, they are not particularly straightforward when done on a boat on the water. The following issues may occur because of a police officer trying to push these tests on boaters:
- Testing on the water, producing unfavorable conditions for balancing
- Testing on land before a person adjusts from the boat to land
- Utilizing balance-based tests when they may be unreliable
Instead of providing these tests for boaters, police should consider other options and should avoid testing a person's sense of balance at all while on the water.
Contact Us
If you are facing BUI charges, it is important that you work with a BUI defense lawyer who will passionately protect your legal rights. Contact the Lynnwood field sobriety tests on the water lawyers of Cowan Kirk by calling 866-822-1230 to speak with an advocate whom you can trust.
