Today, I was pulled over by a policeman. He thought I was drunk, after doing the "walk in a straight line" test and the "finger-to-nose" test. It wasn't until after I got a fine that I got it through to him that I have cerebellar ataxia, and that I wasn't drunk. FML
Collection
Fall
Dead leaves, the first cold of the season and an umbrella flipped inside out: fall, the season of grace.
Today, I was pulled over for a DWI. The police officer was drunk. FML
Today, I was driving on the freeway when I saw a car in front of me swerving across 3 lanes of traffic. Thinking he might be drunk, I dialed 911 on my phone, but I dropped it. I fished under my seat to get it, swerving, and got pulled over by highway patrol and given a field sobriety test. FML
Today, I was drunk and crashed on my friend's couch to sober up. On the drive home, a cop pulled me over for seemingly no reason. He kept asking if I had been drinking, to which I answered no. Finally, he told me to look in the mirror. My friends had written all over my face while I slept. FML
Today, a cop car was tailing me. I was scared, and trying to avoid any tickets, I drove straight through a huge pothole rather than swerving to avoid it. The cop pulled me over and insisted I was intoxicated, because, "anybody in their right mind would've dodged that pothole." FML
Today, while driving home I had to pee really bad, so I speeded up to get home quicker. I got pulled over for speeding and peed my pants. The cop, assuming I was drunk, made me take a sobriety test. I had to walk a straight line with piss all over my pants at 2:00 in the afternoon. FML
Today, I was pulled over by my father who is a police officer. He was training a rookie and gave me a breathalyzer test to show his trainee how to do it. I blew a .15 and was taken to jail. FML
Today, I got pulled over for the first time since I got my license. I have disorganized speech and occasional inappropriate emotional response. I began to laugh due to nervousness and when I tried to explain why, I was arrested because he thought I was high. FML
Today, I found out that I can't pass a field sobriety test while sober. FML
Today, I was dancing in the passenger seat of my car with my family when a cop pulled us over. He thought I was trying to flag him down for help. I guess I'm not as good of a dancer as I thought. FML
Today, I was driving home from work when I was pulled over by a cop. She asked why I was being pulled over and figuring she knew I said, "For swerving because of my alcohol problem." I had a broken tail light. FML
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Top comments
haileyrows 26
You should definitely be able to appeal the fine, especially if he gave it to you without a breathalyzer test as concrete proof
askullnamedbilly 33
Sorry if that's a stupid question, but how are you even allowed to drive a car with a condition that affects your coordination and balance? That doesn't sound safe at all.
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Comments (99)
SookyLala 13
how do you get a fine without a breath test. i call bullshit
kbecks87 16
OP didn't get a fine. Just pulled over and tested.
SookyLala 13
re read his post mate 'it wasnt till after i got the fine'
Pandacupcakelove 26
How do you ask a question without a question mark? Strange things happen.
SookyLala 13
Strange things do happen. being fined for drink driving without proof.. i would say isnt one of them
abNormal62 23
Community policing at its finest
haileyrows 26
You should definitely be able to appeal the fine, especially if he gave it to you without a breathalyzer test as concrete proof
invadermaythe1st 35
Ah, police officers. They never listen, do they?
Cassandra2015 21
I don't think the jab should be directed at the police officer . He or she was doing their job and ensuring that OP was not intoxicated while driving and putting others life's at risk . It's unfortunate that you received a fine for having a medical condition, but if a road side breathalyzer was done and proper medical papers were shown , you should be good to go !
rockwrench 18
Well said #9. The officer was doing his job and has heard every excuse under the sun. OP should be clearly able to prove his mdeical condition.
phaelnb 26
#27 I suppose so, but I've never heard of a drunk person capable of saying cerebellar ataxia hahahahahaha
ScottLucky 18
what is that? I'm too lazy to Google it!
askagimp 5
it's not okay to screw someone over for being disabled. People are still amazed that I can drive despite being a paraplegic. it's not my problem if someone is ignorant of disability culture. Why is it OP's fault that the cop didn't listen?
sicksadworld1317 30
@55- Who needs Google when one remembers everything from Psych class? The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls balance and coordination- so the disorder must have an effect on OP's coordination making them appear to be inebriated.
I_Bite 22
#58 first off, congratulations on that huge achievement, that's awesome! secondly, he wasn't being screwed over. what if every drunk person on the road said they had some form of disability and the police just believed them, no proof, no tests, just took their word on it? how many more deaths and accidents would there be on the road? If OP wasn't given a breathalyzer test and could clearly prove with a medical certificate than they will be able to go to court and get it fixed. the police are only doing their job
bunnybean12321 18
#55 its basically where your brain doesnt like you to have proper motor skills and so you have trouble walking and balancing and with certain motor skills
kozzard 17
It also states that OP did NOT tell the officer until AFTER the fine had been issued. Where I live, the cops don't hand write the tickets, they are entered into the system, and the ticket prints out. If that's the case where OP lives, then there's no way for the officer to "unwrite" a ticket, if it's hand written, the officer still has to account for every ticket in his book
AmayaR 12
Well it's not quite "ignorance of disability culture" seeing that it's difficult to know about every disability out there but it's more of he saw something that seems like signs of drunkenness and he went after OP because he was doing his job
PCRob 5
If your driving skill have deteriorated due to CA to the point that you're getting pulled over, and your coordination is such that you can't pass a field sobriety test, then most likely you shouldn't be driving at all any more. Maybe he cited you for impaired driving instead of drunk driving? Either way, it's time to hang up the keys for good, dude.
Nexpecto 28
You know you're drunk when you get pulled over for being sober... wait... yeah
askagimp 5
Comment moderated for rule-breaking.
are you a Dr? if not , you shouldn't be evaluating someone's ability to drive due to a disability, you ableistic fool.
jpsullivan 36
As a disabled person, their comment was not ableist. You are driving a several tonne death machine on wheels. If you are not 100% able to drive clearly, then you should not be on the road. I can't drive now, nor will I ever probably be able to. This isn't about limiting what people can and can't do, it's about the safety of not only yourself, but the people around you as well. You share the road, and if this is impairing you enough to the point where they can't tell you apart from someone who's been drinking, it's time to throw in the towel. There are other modes of transportation that won't kill people if your disability is giving you an bad day.
askullnamedbilly 33
Sorry if that's a stupid question, but how are you even allowed to drive a car with a condition that affects your coordination and balance? That doesn't sound safe at all.
SeanLewis 17
Some of them don't cause they think it's too dangerous. They need a lot of focus. But some are left with no choice since their car is a neccessity. For those who really need to use a private vehicle but don't feel very safe, I know some of them install converted hand controls, which makes it easier for them.
aj2711 10
If you have a disability that may affect your driving you have to have a doctor submit a form that your condition is well controlled enough for you to drive.
missambitious 21
I have Menieres disease which affects my hearing and balance and my doctor has cleared me to drive. I'm just not supposed to drive when I'm having a vertigo attack, but who would want to then?
Whyismydogcrazy 5
Exactly. I have Muscular Dystrophy but I can drive. I have a minivan that I drive while sitting in my electric wheelchair. For a seatbelt, I use the lapbelt on my wheelchair, and we leave the van's seatbelt buckled all the time, and I just pull in to it for the shoulder strap. There's a mechanism that my chair locks into to lock it in place. All the driving mechanisms are re-done for me to drive. I went thru lots of extensive testing and evaluation to see what I could handle and what needed to be done. It is all made to compensate for my weaknesses and to capitalize on my strengths. My steering wheel lays down flat, like a record player, is 7 inches in diameter, and has a knob on it that i hold, and the wheel is very easy to turn. Basically, if I start to have a sneezing fit - I have to pull over! lol I turn the wheel with one hand. With the other hand, I control the gas and brake. They are levers that I pull toward me to use. The gas is one lever and the brake the other. They are easily done with one finger, so I use my index finger for the gas and keep my middle finger on the brake for those times you can't just ease off the gas on to the brake. I have buttons for blinkers, gear shifts, ignition on/off, horn, headlights, wipers, etc. It's pretty spectacular!
itcomesinthrees 10
#38, I also have Meniere's Disease. My doctor is the same, I still drive when I can and just avoid driving when I can't.
baconofthepan 7
Pull the lever Kronk!!!
eski2015 22
Uh just FYI "Cerebellar ataxia can occur as a result of many diseases and presents with symptoms of an inability to coordinate balance, gait, extremity and eye movements" ik ik it's from Wikipedia but look it says balance and eye movements
Wintermelons 19
Coordination and balance != moving your hands and feet; as long as there are no complicated maneuvers, she's fine
Calacor 17
As a cop; THATS HILLARIOUS!
noonenoeone 22
Hey isn't it nice to have a reason to be happy to be a cop? I'm sure that's a rare occurrence...
CandyPewPewPew 29
#12, go back to your donuts. Just go.
ScottLucky 18
why all the hating on the police officer? would any of you like it if there were none of them?
mrman32 5
Sorry for the lack of creativity, but you're an asshole.
orangeshels 19
That's horrible OP. I still find it strange all countries don't just do a breathalyzer test only like we do in Aus. Humiliation free.
LAUGHINGKOMODO 25
Completly opposite of what #12 said.:)
noonenoeone 22
Breathalyzer is far from concrete proof and if they used that as the sole proof of a DUI we would have a ton of wrongfully convicted DUI offenders. It takes a series of field sobriety tests to deem one too impaired too drive.
orangeshels 19
In Australia it isn't the only thing used. If you test positive on a breathalyzer you are then taken to get a blood test. Sobriety tests aren't used at all, and I've never once heard of anyone being wrongly convicted of a DUI here.
lurker_no_more 13
same thing in Sweden, breathalyzer test then blood test.. No kind of weird "field sobriety" testing done.. then again we have 0.0 promille alcohol limit so you can't have drunken anything at all to drive.
lexwilder 16
Same here, just because you can't walk in a straight line doesn't mean you're drunk(some people are just that uncoordinated), and there's no way an officer here would try and use that as evidence. It'd be thrown out.
josh09_fml 4
A PBT only detects the ionization of alcohol in your breath.. you can be under the influence or impaired by thousands of other substances, and conditions. FSTs test your proprioception.. PBTs don't.
josh09_fml 4
in America you cant drive with ANY impairment of any kind, including medical. that's why we do a PBT last... we are checking for all impairments.
writerchic85 26
Who gets fines for being drunk? Thought they usually take you in for that. Unless the fine was for reckless driving or something. In which case it's your own fault even if you were not drunk.
dbt88 15
In Wisconsin anyway (I know this is Texas), first offense OWI is a monetary penalty as opposed to jail time provided it is under a certain BAC level (I want to say .15?)... No clue on Texas though. I thought everywhere else in the US made jail time mandatory for first offense.