The DRE Process

If you are suspected of driving under the influence of drugs or other chemicals, the police may try to perform a twelve-step process known as the Drug Recognition Expert exam, or DREexam. This test was designed to tell whether an individual is under the influence of drugs and what type of drug they have supposedly been taking.

In many ways, this exam resembles a medical exam by your doctor: the officer will ask what medications you are on, take your blood pressure, examine your body for injection marks, examine your pupils and their reaction to light, etc. However, the medical community has emphatically stated that the DRE exam is not able to tell whether or not a person is under the influence of drugs.

What To Do When Pulled Over

If you are ever asked to submit to any test, including the DRE exam, you should first ask to speak to Columbus DUI attorney Peter Binning. Do not agree to any tests or leave the scene of the stop. The DRE exam was designed to be performed in a controlled environment, not the side of the road.

Do not answer any questions about what medications you are on, even necessary ones. Prescription medications are used to bring people from an abnormal state to a normal one. But the prosecutor will take any such information as an admission of guilt and use it against you during your trial. The DRE exam is completely voluntary, so there is no reason to give the police any ammunition they will use to prosecute you.

Columbus DUI attorney Peter Binning is trained in the DRE process and is familiar with how to defend against it. If you have been arrested with an Ohio DUI, call our offices today for your free consultation.