In California, the arresting officer must tell you that you have the right to choose between different types of tests for alcohol. This usually means the choice between a Chemical Breath test, or a blood test. You will probably be given a series of field sobriety tests, such as walking a straight line and reciting the alphabet before being asked for a more scientific analysis. In some states you will be asked to perform a breathalyzer which measures gases in the breath. These results are susceptible to numerous problems, including false positives from people with diabetes and those who have worked with volatile chemicals. If you are offered a choice of tests, it is generally agreed that blood tests are the most accurate.

Implied Consent Warning

The main principle behind the state’s right to ask for a chemical test to determine your blood alcohol level is the implied consent law. It states that anyone with a driver’s license automatically consents to testing. No one has the absolute right to operate a vehicle. Every state has an implied consent law. Supreme Court rulings have decided that police may forcibly take your blood in order to test your blood alcohol levels, though on a practical level, that rarely happens. Most states rely on statutes that make refusing to test even more punishing than taking the test and failing. In California, you make a choice between the type of test you wish to take. If the facility only has blood testing, then you must use that type of test.  

If you are stopped for suspected drunk driving in San Diego, the officer on the scene may ask you to perform a series of tasks to determine your ability to operate a motor vehicle. In some jurisdictions, field sobriety tests are often filmed by a camera mounted in the patrol car and may be used against you in a court of law.

The field sobriety tests (walking a straight line, walking heel-to-toe, balance testing, eye test) are not legally required of you Under California law if you are pulled over, even if you’re pulled over on suspicion of drunk or drugged driving. If you are not intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, it may be best to perform the sobriety tests. If you are drunk or drugged, it may be better to decline to perform them and ask for an attorney. If you refuse the field sobriety tests you will likely be arrested and transported to a facility to have your blood tested.

Driving under the influence (DUI) is illegal in California. If you have been arrested for a DUI in San Diego county, it means that the governments believe that you are guilty of having operated a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs to include illegal narcotics, or quite possibly, legally prescribed medications. 
Regardless of the specifics of your arrest, San Diego County has some of the strictest DUI laws in the country. This means you’re going to need an experienced San Diego DUI Defense attorney on your side.

DUI arrests (aka Drunk Driving arrests) are incredibly common. Furthermore, many individuals who are charged with DUI have never, ever been arrested. They are not criminals, nor are they repeat offenders. More often than not they are law abiding citizens who made a bad decision. All the same, there are going to be potential repercussions.
Even though the overwhelming majority of people charged with a DUI in San Diego are charged with a misdemeanor, the DUI legal process in San Diego County is no cakewalk. By contrast, it is extraordinarily complex, and therefore, it is essential to have an experienced DUI Defense attorney to help guide you through the process, and to mitigate the potentially devastating consequences that a DUI may have on your life, including your livelihood.