Question:  Because I was arrested for a DUI in Forsyth County, I'm writing because I need a Forsyth County DUI lawyer to help me. I was stopped a week ago by the Forsyth deputy for failure to maintain my lane; he said he saw me swerve. When the cop pulled me over he asked me where I was coming from and I told him I was at a bar but I stopped drinking at least an hour earlier and I only had a couple of beers and I was drinking water the whole time.

I think the cop thought I was drunk only because I was at a bar. But I really didn't drink that much and I don't think I was drunk. I mean, I know how to handle drinking. The deputy asked me questions like how much I had to drink and how long I was at the bar and why I was out so late. It wasn't even late, maybe 1:00 AM or so. 

The Forsyth deputy then asked me if I would take some field sobriety tests to show that I wasn't buzzed or anything. I did the field sobriety tests and I admit that I fell once. Then he took me to the Forsyth County jail.

I think I fell because I did the test on gravel and that caused me to fall, not that I was drunk. Those tests are hard for me to do not because I was drunk or buzzed or anything like that, but really because I have balance issues that were made worse from a car accident three months ago in Cumming.

I admit that I didn't look great doing those field sobriety tests and I think the deputy probably videotaped everything because I was in front of his patrol car and  I think he was speaking into a microphone while I was doing the tests.

I just want to know what I can do about looking bad on the video because I wasn't drunk but I'm sure I looked like I was.

T.D. in Cumming, Georgia

Answer:  You were probably being videotaped because just about every Forsyth County patrol car is equipped with a video camera. “Looking bad” on a video of a DUI stop is something that can be addressed in several different ways.

In your case, a recent traffic accident can cause physical issues that can make performing well on the field sobriety tests challenging. Of course, if you have physical limitations, completing the tests can be quite difficult. Your DUI lawyer needs to tell the prosecutor about the car accident.

Besides injuries, other things, like the conditions of the ground upon which the tests are conducted can influence performance. If the tests are done on an incline, if the ground has holes or if the weather conditions are bad (it might have been raining, or it was very cold) then the results of the field sobriety tests could be called into questions.

We'd certainly like to know if you took a breath test or a blood test and what those results were.    

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