DUI – Can you refuse to have your breath tested?
The State of Washington’s Implied Consent law – Basically reads, if you drive a vehicle, you automatically give consent to have your breath or blood tested if a law enforcement officer believes you have been driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The officer shall inform the person of his or her right to refuse the breath or blood test, and of his or her right to have additional tests administered by any qualified person of his or her choosing as provided in RCW 46.61.506. The officer shall warn the driver, in substantially the following language, that:
(a) If the driver refuses to take the test, the driver’s license, permit, or privilege to drive will be revoked or denied for at least one year; and
(b) If the driver refuses to take the test, the driver’s refusal to take the test may be used in a criminal trial; and
(c) If the driver submits to the test and the test is administered, the driver’s license, permit, or privilege to drive will be suspended, revoked, or denied for at least ninety days if the driver is age twenty-one or over and the test indicates the alcohol concentration of the driver’s breath or blood is 0.08 or more, or if the driver is under age twenty-one and the test indicates the alcohol concentration of the driver’s breath or blood is 0.02 or more, or if the driver is under age twenty-one and the driver is in violation of RCW 46.61.502 or 46.61.504; and
(d) If the driver’s license, permit, or privilege to drive is suspended, revoked, or denied the driver may be eligible to immediately apply for an ignition interlock driver’s license.
Although your driver’s license will not be suspended automatically, the amount of time until the suspension takes effect depends on the type of offense. Once that has been determined your license can be suspended from 90 days to 4 years.
No driver’s license? No problem! If you are stopped for a DUI, it will be reported the same way as a licensed driver and the Washington State Department of Licensing will create a record based on the information provided by the law enforcement agency.
