Source: https://www.shouselaw.com/chemical-test-refusal.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 00:50:44+00:00

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If you refuse to submit to a DUI breath test after being lawfully arrested for driving under the influence in California, you will face penalties for a chemical test refusal.
The major consequences of a chemical test refusal in California are: 1) increased penalties in addition to the standard California DUI penalties, and 2) a mandatory driver's license suspension that will occur regardless of the outcome in your DUI case.
This is because of California's so-called "implied consent" law. Under this law, you have no right to refuse a DUI breath test once you are lawfully arrested for DUI.
Traditionally, California's "implied consent law" applied to DUI blood tests as well as to breath tests. But the Supreme Court of the United States has suggested that defendants may not be penalized for refusing to take blood tests in cases where the police have not obtained a warrant.
The following chart clarifies the additional penalties that will accompany a DUI conviction if you refuse to take a DUI breath test.
But simply being charged with a chemical test refusal does not necessarily mean that it – or the DUI itself – will be sustained in court.
Your refusal resulted from an injury (that was not caused or contributed to by alcohol or drugs).
Our attorneys include former cops and prosecutors who now use what we have learned to help people accused of DUI chemical test refusals.
1. What is California's “Implied Consent” DUI Law?
2. Do I Have to Take a Chemical Test under California DUI Law?
3. Can I Choose Which DUI Chemical Test I Take?
3.1. What if the officer suspects I am under the influence of drugs?
3.2. What is my preferred DUI chemical test is not available?
3.3. What if my DUI breath test results are not reliable?
3.4. What should I do if I am told to take a different DUI chemical test than the one I requested?
3.5. What if I have a medical condition?
3.6. What if I am unconscious or severely injured?
3.7. What if I am unable to complete a DUI chemical test after I start it?
4. What Qualifies as a “Refusal” to Take a California DUI Test?
5. Can I Be Forced to Submit to a Chemical DUI Test Against My Will?
6. What are the Penalties for Refusing to Submit to a DUI Chemical Test?
6.1. What is the impact of chemical test refusal on DUI criminal penalties?
6.1.1. Could refusing a DUI breath or blood test help me in my DUI criminal case?
6.2. What happens to my driver's license if I refuse to take a DUI breath or blood test?
6.2.1. What happens to my driver's license if I refuse a DUI chemical test but my DUI charges are dismissed?
6.2.2. What happens to my driver's license if I plea bargain to a "wet reckless" charge?
7. How Can I Fight a California DUI Test Refusal Charge?
If, after reading this article, you have further questions, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group.
By driving in California, you are presumed to have consented to chemical testing for blood alcohol levels (“BAC”) and/or drugs if you are lawfully arrested for DUI.1 This is known as California's “implied consent” law.
You may not refuse a post-arrest chemical test without serious legal consequences.
However, a pre-arrest breath test is different.
Let's take a brief look at each of these scenarios separately.
Unfortunately, the police will rarely present it to you as a choice. But the PAS test is merely a field sobriety test (FST). Like other FSTs – such as walking a straight line, or bringing your finger to your nose – it is just a tool to help the cop decide whether to arrest you.
If you do agree to a PAS test, however, the results of the test can be used to help convict you of a DUI.5 Thus we do not recommend to agreeing to a preliminary breath test unless you are under 21 or on DUI probation.
Note that in some counties – including Ventura and Orange County – the police use the Evidential Portable Alcohol System (“EPAS”) to conduct post-arrest breath tests. This device is based on the same Draeger Alcotest device used by some police departments for preliminary screenings. However, the EPAS can be hooked up to a printer by hardline or blue tooth.
If you are asked to blow into a handheld device after you have been placed under arrest, we advise requesting a DUI blood test instead.
This rule traditionally applied to both breath and blood tests in California. But in 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision called Birchfield v. North Dakota. Birchfield held that it is unconstitutional for a state to make it a crime to refuse a blood test without a lawful warrant.
The Birchfield case dealt with states that make it a separate crime to refuse a DUI blood test after arrest. California, in contrast, just imposes additional penalties on DUI defendants for chemical test refusals. So it remains for courts to decide if this is also unconstitutional--and thus if California's "implied consent" law cannot be applied to blood tests.
In these and certain other scenarios, you may not be able to choose which DUI test you take.
Let's take a look at each of these situations one by one.
The arresting officer might make the determination as to whether a DUI blood test is required. Or the police could bring in a drug recognition expert (DRE).
elevated pulse / heart rate.
A PAS test that comes back negative for alcohol.
the odor of marijuana in your car.
prescription bottles in your purse.
white powder around your nostrils.
drug paraphernalia (California Health and Safety Code 11364) in your car.
3.2. What if my preferred DUI chemical test is not available?
If the officer believes your DUI breath test results are unreliable, you may be required to submit to a DUI blood or urine test.
the results are lower than what the officer expected.
The DUI breath machine isn't working properly.
If there is a problem with the equipment, the officer will usually try again, or will find another machine. But if the device truly isn't working and there is not another machine available, you may be required to submit to an alternate DUI chemical test.
You are unable to generate a sufficient volume of air.
Breath machines are calibrated to base readings for DUI chemical tests on deep lung air, which is the most reliable indicator of BAC.14 To get enough deep lung air to report a valid result, a minimum volume of air is required.
The breath machine detects alcohol in the mouth.
If the machine aborts the DUI breath test because it detects mouth alcohol, the officer will usually wait 15 minutes and try the test again. If a valid reading can still not be obtained, you may need to take an alternative chemical test for DUI.
The officer is not properly trained in the chemical testing procedure.
California DUI testing regulations require that the people administering DUI blood and breath tests be properly trained.19 But that doesn't mean this is always observed.
If that happens, and there is no one else there who can administer the DUI chemical test, you may be asked to submit to an alternative one. Your attorney can challenge the DUI chemical test results later, on the grounds that California procedures were not followed.
Sometimes we forget that cops are people, too. The cop may genuinely believe that you are driving impaired, even if you are not. He or she may be hoping for a higher result.
Or the person administering the DUI chemical test may be tired. She may not realize she has forgotten to do part of the procedure.
Regardless of the reason, if law enforcement tells you that you must repeat a DUI chemical test or take a different one, your failure to do so may be deemed a chemical test refusal.
And again…if the testing procedure was flawed, we can challenge the results later. It is harder to challenge a DUI chemical test refusal.
Refusing to follow the officer's instructions in any way will constitute a chemical test refusal.
Remember, under California's implied consent law, you have agreed to DUI chemical testing. You can request a different test if the officer neglected to offer you a choice. And if procedures weren't strictly followed, the results can be challenged later.
But once you are directed to take a specific DUI chemical test, there are very few reasons why you can legally refuse it.
Certain medical conditions may excuse – or prevent you – from taking a particular DUI chemical test. They will not excuse you from the requirement of a DUI blood or breath test altogether.
If you are unable to complete a test for reasons beyond your control, you must be allowed to take a different test.
Although the concept of “refusing” a DUI chemical test may seem straightforward, it really isn't. There are a variety of situations that may unknowingly be construed as a refusal.
You are only required to be given one chance to submit to a test.
If you do not choose a DUI chemical test, it will be considered a refusal.
You do not have the right to consult with an attorney before a DUI chemical test.
You do not have the right to have your own physician present during the test.
You are not entitled to have your own physician conduct or observe the DUI chemical test.35 The test will be conducted by trained law enforcement personnel or an outside laboratory in accordance with Title 17 CCR regulations.
5. Can I Be Forced to Submit to a Chemical Test Against My Will?
In most cases, you cannot be forced to submit to a DUI chemical test without a warrant.
Many California law enforcement agencies have, as a result, stopped the practice of forced blood draws in misdemeanor cases.40 They will only forcibly draw your blood for a DUI chemical test when you are suspected of California felony DUI and a warrant cannot be quickly obtained.
6. What are the Penalties for Refusing to Submit to a California DUI Chemical Test?
There are basically two potential consequences of refusing to take a post-arrest DUI blood or breath test in California.
First, if you are eventually convicted of DUI, you will face enhanced penalties for your chemical test refusal.
Second, you will automatically lose your driver's license for some period of time after refusing to a take a DUI chemical test.
If you go to trial and are convicted of a chemical refusal, you face enhanced penalties. These are in addition to and consecutive to your underlying sentence for a California DUI.
for a fourth or subsequent DUI offense within ten years, an additional 18 days in county jail.
Even though a breath/blood test refusal increases your potential DUI penalties, refusing a chemical test could actually have a positive impact on your criminal DUI case.
Without corroborating DUI chemical test results, the D.A. may not believe that the arresting officer is credible. Or he/she may feel that the officer is not articulate enough to convince a jury of your guilt.
The D.A. could also dismiss the chemical test refusal charge, while leaving the DUI charge in place.
you will have to take your case to trial.
You have ten days following your arrest to request a California DMV hearing to contest that suspension. Doing so may postpone your suspension, pending the outcome of the hearing.
Did the arresting officer have reason to suspect that you were driving under the influence?
Were you properly advised that your license would be suspended for one year…or revoked for two or three years (with prior DUIs)…if you refused to submit to or failed to complete a DUI chemical test?
Let's take a closer look at how the outcome of your DUI case affects your status with the California DMV.
However, the DMV is not required to follow the D.A.'s or the court's lead. The D.A. is concerned with whether there is enough evidence to convict you of a DUI beyond a reasonable doubt.
But the DMV hearing is an administrative hearing, rather than a criminal trial. The DMV need only prove that it was more likely than not that you improperly refused a DUI chemical test.
A plea of guilty or “no contest” to a wet reckless or any lesser offense will not reverse a DMV license suspension/revocation for a DUI chemical test refusal. This is so even if the prosecutor drops the DUI and test refusal charges.
There was no “lawful” arrest.
Your DUI arrest is unlawful if the officer didn't have probable cause for a California DUI stop or arrest.
If the arrest was unlawful, then you have not given implied consent to chemical testing. Once the charges against you are dismissed – or the jury finds you not guilty – the chemical test refusal charges will be dismissed.
Example: You were arrested for DUI, but the officer didn't actually see you drive. He only saw you sitting in your parked car with the engine running. When he asked you to submit to a DUI chemical test, you refused and he arrested you.
But since the crime of DUI requires that your vehicle actually be moving, the officer could not reasonable believe you had committed a crime.50 The arrest is unlawful, and both the DUI and chemical test refusal charge should be dismissed.
The arresting officer didn't advise you of your obligation to submit to a DUI chemical test.
California law requires that the arresting officer advise you of the consequences for refusing to submit to a chemical test.51 An officer's failure to do so is a fatal flaw in the DUI investigation. It should result in the dismissal of your refusal charge.
The “refusal admonition” was confusing or misleading.
The chemical test refusal admonition must also be given in a clear and unambiguous manner. If it isn't, that may justify your refusal.
Your refusal was the result of a serious injury or medical condition unrelated to drinking or drugs.
California law recognizes that in some cases you may not be capable of giving meaningful consent or refusal to a DUI chemical test. For example, a medical condition or injury rendered you incapable of making a choice. However, if your incapacity results even partly from a voluntary ingestion of alcohol or drugs, your refusal will not be excused.
Example: You have a mild stroke while you are driving and veer off the road. A California Highway Patrol officer pulls you over and asks you for your license and registration.
The officer notices you seem confused and asks you to take field sobriety tests. You agree. But he mistakes your symptoms of stroke – difficulty walking, vomiting, and confusion – for DUI. He arrests you and asks you to take a DUI chemical test. You refuse.
If you or a loved one is charged with chemical test refusal and you are looking to hire an attorney for representation, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group. We can provide a free consultation in office or by phone. We have local offices in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena, Long Beach, Orange County, Ventura, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose and throughout California.
Additionally, our Las Vegas Nevada DUI defense attorneys represent clients accused of DUI and related offenses in Nevada. For more information please contact our local attorneys at one of our Nevada law offices, located in Reno and Las Vegas, or see our article on Nevada DUI chemical test refusals.
California Vehicle Code 23612 (h) VC – Right to refuse preliminary alcohol screening.
California Vehicle Code 13389 VC. See also California Vehicle Code 13353.1 VC - Consequence of refusing preliminary alcohol screening for people under 21 or on DUI probation.
People v. Jackson (2010) 189 Cal.App.4th 1461, 117 Cal.Rptr.3d 775 (“[B]ecause defendant had a “ ‘right to refuse' ” to take the PAS test under section 23612, the trial court erred by allowing the arresting officer to testify that defendant refused to take the test.”).
California Vehicle Code 23612(i) VC, endnote 2.
Martin v. Department of Motor Vehicles (1976) 54 Cal.App.3d 903, 126 Cal.Rptr. 924 (“The law does not prejudge the guilt or innocence of a lawfully arrested driver suspected of being under the influence of alcohol. The law does require such a person to make a choice between forfeiting his driver's license or submitting to one of the three test.”).
For a full explanation, please see our article on California DUI breath testing.
See, e.g., Thomas E. Workman Jr., Massachusetts Breath Testing for Alcohol: a Computer Science Perspective, 8 J. High Tech. L. 209 (2008).
People v. Sugarman (2002) 96 Cal.App.4th 210, 116 Cal.Rptr.2d 689.
See, e.g., American Prosecutors Research Institute, Breath Testing for Prosecutors, 2004. This “slope detection” technology allows a sample to be aborted if the profile shows the slope of the breath alcohol curve to be different from that expected for an acceptable sample, possibly indicating the presence of residual mouth alcohol.
See 17 CCR 1219.1(c) [blood] and 17 CCR 1221.4(a)(3) [breath].
California Vehicle Code (a)(2)(A) VC, endnote 12 above.
It might also qualify as making false statements to the police in violation of California Vehicle Code 31 VC.
Hughey v. Department of Motor Vehicles (1991) 1 Cal.Rptr.2d 115, 235 Cal.App.3d 752, rehearing denied, review denied.
Kessler v. Department of Motor Vehicles (1992) 12 Cal.Rptr.2d 46, 9 Cal.App.4th 1134, review denied (“Petitioner's inability to complete the urine test required petitioner to select and complete one of the two remaining intoxication tests.”).
Dunlap v. Department of Motor Vehicles (1984) 156 Cal.App.3d 279 (“There is no provision…requiring an arresting officer to provide extra admonitions or opportunities to complete any [DUI] chemical testing once the original…tests have been refused. To the contrary, the law of implied consent mandates that an arrestee is required to submit to and complete one of the…tests upon their first having been offered to him by an arresting officer.”).
Miranda v. Arizona (1966) 384 U.S. 436 16 L.Ed.2d 694.
McDonnell v. Department of Motor Vehicles (1975) 45 Cal.App.3d 653, 119 Cal.Rptr. 804 (“When a driver who has been given Miranda manifests confusion by asserting his alleged right to an attorney, it is incumbent upon the officer to explain that the right does not apply to these [DUI blood or breath] tests.”).
Lampman v. Department of Motor Vehicles (1972) 28 Cal.App.3d 922.
Westmoreland v. Chapman (1968) 268 Cal.App.2d 1, 74 Cal.Rptr. 363 Cal.App. 1968. (“It is now settled that in a civil proceeding for suspension of a person's driving privilege under the California Implied Consent Law, a driver does not enjoy the right to consult with counsel, or to have counsel present, before deciding to submit to the [DUI] chemical tests prescribed by the statute inasmuch as such tests do not violate one's right against self-incrimination, nor one's right to be free from illegal searches and seizures, nor one's right to counsel.” (citations omitted)).
See Missouri v. McNeely, 133 S.Ct. 1552 (2013).
No one can “force” you to urinate, or to blow into a tube with sufficient air. A forced test, therefore, refers to a blood test.
Schmerber v. California (1966) 384 U.S. 757.
See Missouri v. McNeely, endnote 36.
See, e.g., Officer.com forums, No more forced blood draws on “routine” DUIs.
California Vehicle Code 23550 VC.
California Vehicle Code 23550.5 VC.
California Vehicle Code 23103.5(a) VC.
See California Vehicle Code 13353 VC.
See California Department of Motor Vehicles, Driving Under the Influence, Immediate Driver License Suspension or Revocation Drivers Age 21 and Older.
See California Department of Motor Vehicles, DUI Arrest DMV Administrative Hearings vs Criminal Court Trials.
Mercer v. Department of Motor Vehicles (1991) 53 Cal.3d 753.
California Vehicle Code 23612(a)(1)(D) VC.
Decker v. Dept. of Motor Vehicles (1972) 6 Cal.3d 903.

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