Did you ever stop to think just what the California Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies look for before deciding to pull someone over for a DUI? If you know what they're looking for, you can avoid making yourself look like a target for their traffic stops. What you know now can save you later!

DUI Driving Symptoms used by agencies to detect Drunk Drivers while on patrol

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA (a Federal agency,part of the Department of Transportation), has published a list of alleged DUI driving symptoms that the California Highway Patrol and other agencies use in training their officers to detect drunk drivers while they are driving on patrol. This NHTSA list (DOT HS-805-711) often serves as a sort of checklist for law enforcement officers in deciding who to pull over, and who not to. Look at this list carefully. Following each indicator is a percentage figure that – according to NHTSA – tells the officer how likely it is that this means the driver is under the influence. For example, NHTSA claims that “65 times out of 100,” a driver who displays the first indicator (“Turning with a wide radius”) will be driving under the influence.

NHTSA further claims — and police officers are taught — that there is also a quick and-easy formula if the officer sees more than one indicator: “When two or more cues are seen, add 10 percent to the highest value among the cues observed.”In other words, if you straddle the lane marker and your headlights are off, the government says there is a 75 percent chance the driver is under the influence!