DUI "investigatory detentions' are one of the District Attorney's favorite legal fictions, but have been held not to violate Miranda. The should not stop Attorneys from filing In Limine motions to exclude any admissions or confessions taken in violation of Miranda pursuant to Evidence Code section 402 hearings. You do not have to be read your Miranda rights if you are not questioned. Even then, the remedy for a Miranda violation turns on the question of the admissibility of the evidence. The best practice is to politely decline to answer questions during a DUI stop and investigation, and refuse to participate in any Field Sobriety Testing. Do not let an officer waive a flashlight in your eyes for a second, so that he or she can then say that you exhibited 'horizontal gaze nystagmus'. You must, however, pursuant to California's 'Implied Consent' law, submit to blood or breath (used to include urine) sample testing up reasonable suspicion by law enforcement that you were driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Answered on May 21st, 2013 at 12:00 AM