WHAT IF YOU ONLY WANT TO GIVE URINE?

---

SUBMIT TO CHEMICAL TEST

As most people know when the police pull people over one of the first things they ask for is a license, registration, and proof of insurance. During most stops, the person after being identified is cited for some sort of traffic offense. However, if the police stop turns into a DUI investigation the police officer will ask many more questions. The officer will ask you questions regarding what you ate or drank recently, when the last time you slept, how long you slept, where are you going and where are you coming from. The officer will also request that you submit to various Field Sobriety Tests (FSTs).

If after answering all of these questions and submitting to the FSTs the officer decides to arrest you, then the officer will ask you to submit to a chemical test.

ONLY TWO NOW AVAILABLE

The breath is less intrusive as it requires a person to allow a tube to be placed in their mouth in order for the person to breathe into the tube. The urine test is the least invasive as no object is placed into a person’s body. Instead, the person needs to only to urinate into a small cup twice.

NO MORE URINE TESTS

So, one would probably assume that constitutionally that person can choose which test he or she submits to in light of an individual’s right to privacy against government intrusion into that person’s body. If all of the above tests can produce consistent results, can’t a person decide what test to submit to? The answer is a no. Generally, a person is required to submit to whichever test the officer requests. For instance, if a person wants to give breath but no breath machine is available then the person must give blood. What if that person is afraid of needles and would rather give urine? Does the fear of needles allow someone to elect a different test? No, the fear of needles is not a legal excuse to get out of submitting a blood sample. In fact, instead of requesting a urine sample the police can go to a judge and get the judge to sign a warrant to forcibly withdraw blood from a person. This is so because a urine test is no longer available in California as a choice of tests for alcohol.