Tuesday, 10 January 2017

When a police officer pulls you over and you drive into your own driveway, what will the police do?

As long as the officer observed whatever violation he’s stopping you for on a public street or private property open to public access, it doesn’t matter that you get stopped in your own driveway.
Nevada has a DUI exemption for “farm roads” and roads that connect with a public roadway but that terminate on private property, i.e. driveways. This came about when some Nevada legislators figured out they could be arrested for drunk driving while they were tooling around their ranches with a bottle of Jack Daniels between their knees. This applies only if the violation is confined to the farm road. If the trooper sees you enter your driveway from the state highway and thinks you’re drunk, you belong to him.
WAR STORY ALERT: I observed some erratic driving and made a traffic stop. As I walked up to the violator’s car, he took off. Game on. We had a low-speed pursuit through some residential streets, and I knew he was heading for home. There is, then and now, a common and erroneous belief that if a drunk driver makes it to his driveway, he’s home free. Wrong.
Violator, a man in his mid-fifties, pulled into his driveway with me close behind. He stopped his car, got out, faced me, and stuck his thumbs in his ears. Take a moment to visualize this.
Okay, moving on. Violator looks at me, sticks his tongue out, and yells, “NYAH, NYAH! CAN’T GET ME!” He was doing this when I tackled him on his front lawn.
He was a retired fireman, although I don’t think that matters. In court, he referred to me as a “Nazi” several times. After failing to convince the judge that I had violated his civil, religious, constitutional, and natural rights, he was found guilty of DUI.
If you try to evade the police by pulling into your driveway, you will be pursued. The police will probably pursue you into your house, if necessary, even if your house is in another state. That is the doctrine of fresh pursuit, and it’s been around for a very long time.

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my name is Oyedokun Ayomide i graduated from Command Secondary School, Apata, Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria.