New Hampshire police officers are trained to observe other drivers on the road for signs that motorists are operating while under the influence of alcohol (DUI) or while intoxicated (DWI). One of the main indications that police officers look for is a driver’s inability to use “divided attention” skills.
The phrase “divided attention” simply describes the ability to do more than one task at a time. Drivers have to be able to pay attention to many things at once, such as the speed of the vehicle, the distance between their car and the one in front of them, the presence of any hazards such as barriers or pedestrians, and the directions given by street signs and traffic signals.
Alcohol consumption can make dividing attention more difficult. Intoxicated drivers will often focus on only one thing on the road and ignore all the others, no matter how important they are. For instance, an intoxicated driver may focus on the taillights of the car ahead and forget to notice or respond to a changing traffic light.
Police look for divided attention problems on the theory that intoxicated drivers are bad at dividing their attention. A driver who has difficulty multi-tasking is at greater risk of being arrested for DUI or DWI than a driver who can do divided attention tasks perfectly, even though many other causes – including fatigue, distraction by passengers or stress, and certain medical conditions – can also result in divided attention mistakes.
If you’re facing drunk driving charges in New Hampshire, call the highly skilled New Hampshire drunk driving attorneys at Tenn And Tenn, P.A. We will conduct a thorough investigation into your arrest and build a strong defensive case on your behalf in order to obtain the best possible outcome. Call today for a free consultation with one of our NH DWI lawyers at (888) 332-5855.