In this thread, one of the posters was saying that they practice their alphabet backwards in case they get pulled over for drunk driving by a policeman. This made me think:
I can’t even say my alphabet backwards sober! What am I supposed to do if I get pulled over? Do police officers take into consideration that lots of people can’t say it backwards while not under the influence? Any police officers willing to chime in here?
I have never heard of the police asking people to recite the alphabet backwards. I’d bet a dollar to a donut 95% of the people can’t recite it backwards at all.
I know I can’t.
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IF YOU ARE UNDER THE INFLUENCE, EVEN QUESTIONABLY ** DO NOT TAKE THE TEST**, at least not the ones open to interpitation. the breathalizer is ALL if you know you are cool.
2)The first DUI, you should NEVER TAKE ANY TESTS, you will get the liscense back in six months, the whole time driving on a permit. -
2nd time, or so my lawer says, take the breathalizer.
I know, I have 2, one for being a minor under the influence, and the second for cannabis, in my system, after an accident which I recieved no tickets for, (not my fault), but was put in the hospital for.
When I was pulled over for a possible DWI, the officer asked me to recite the alphabet forward without singing. Seriously.
So I suspect the “backward” thing is an exaggeration.
I had no problem with the alphabet and was not arrested, by the way.
It’s not hard to learn. Learn it in packets.
zyx
wvu
tsr
qponml
kjig*
fe
dcba
*the hardest part, IMHO, is getting k and j right
And I have heard of this as part of a field sobriety test. Another part I’ve seen is being required to pick a nickel up off the ground while holding one foor in the air.
And I guess “h” is going to have to come bail me out. Well, I can say it, anyway.
Not only can’t most people say it backwards at all, but I’ve heard a DUI lawyer pointing out that a lot of adults haven’t said it straight through forward in years, and flubbing under pressure on the side of the road isn’t much proof in itself.
I memorized it backwards as well, but then I realized it was a joke. Even though cops will occasionally ask you to do this, they really don’t expect you too. They just want to see your reaction, and hear what you have to say. The clincher, was, when I was watching one of the COP or other type police shows, and he had asked somebody to do recite the alphabet backwards. It was there I realized it was a joke. Often the cops, get a response back like, “Hell, I can’t even do that when I’m sober.” That generally leads, to, “When you’re sober? So are you drunk now?” 
JZ
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba
Piece of cake 
I memorized the alphabet backwards just in case I ever end up on a TV game show and have to say it backwards within 1 minute in order to get a large cash prize. And now, after 6 months of hard work, I have that going for me.
Oddly enough, I did one of those google checks and looked up “alphabet backwards” and “drunk”, and got a few results from newspapers, including this column detailing a personal experience in a local NY newspaper Newsday.
Of course, the writer may have been drunk at the time of the test and doesn’t remember the specifics of the DUI test correctly.
I memorized it backwards and can sing it backwards to the ABC song. I didn’t do it for any particular reason.
Came in handy about a year ago. I was giving one of my patients a mental status exam secondary to a slight stroke and she insisted on saying the alphabet backwards to prove she was fine. She got it right. When I was telling my residents and attendings about it, they thought it would be great fun to make the med student try it. They were duly impressed when the performing seal did it’s trick.
Whatever. That is the stupidest advice I have seen. Unless the law has changed, refusing to submit to a breathalizer is an automatic suspension and basically an admission of guilt. If you are then ALSO convicted of DUI, you will also have to serve that on top of refusing to take the test.
I say you’re better of taking your chances with the test.
.sdrawkcab uoy ot daer sthgir ruoy evah ot ksa dluoc uoY
Not really. Of course it varies from state to state, but in Texas, this is pretty much what every lawyer who’s ever proferred an opinion to me has said. Without the tests, they don’t have the evidence to make a case, apparently.
I guess this is off-topic though.
One of my tenants is an alcoholic, and he’s had at least a half a dozen or so DWI’s. He’s never had a single ONE stick though. He justs pays his lawyer enough money, who often has lunch with the prosecuting attorney and money gets paid that way, then all of a sudden it gets no billed. He said he’d rather pay his lawyer than the other way. After talking to my cop friend about it, he says it goes on more than you think, which is probably why there is still so many of these drunks still on the road. One of these days, he’s probably going to kill somebody. If I was his lawyer, I personally would have a hard time living with myself if that does in fact happen some day.
JZ
What I posted is Illinois law. And NO, it is not a conviction, just a suspension for failure to submit. You can get a permit to drive whenever you tell the judge you need to with that. Reasearch it. I know I am correct.
(my dui for alcohol was a .06, I was 19 yrs old, thus a dui.)
Well maybe you should have pointed out that it only applied to your tiny little corner of the world, instead of presenting it as hard advice good for anywhere.
Field sobriety tests are voluntary–if you choose not to say the alphabet, or walk the line, or stand on one leg, just politely refuse. This may seem uncomfortable when someone with a gun on his hip is shining a large flashlight in your face and asking you to perform these actions, but you’re totally within your rights to refuse.
IANAL, but my understanding is that these tests are more about building evidence against you than actually determining your fitness to operate a vehicle, and most defense attorneys would advise you not to take these tests: Field Sobriety Testing Info
You may find that after you refuse the roadside tests, the officer takes you back to the station for a BAC (ie, “breathalyzer” style) test. That’s OK–if you’re impaired, chance are the officer would have done so after the field tests anyway.
The BAC test–generally a breath test, or in some states you may be able to request a blood test–is the one that has administrative and/or legal consequences if you refuse.
It appears that most (all?) states have made the license suspension/revocation penalties for refusing the BAC test at least as harsh as the penalties from a DUI conviction, plus you’re still subject to criminal prosecution.
I would be surprised if anyone would be convicted on the results of a field test only. And I doubt that reciting the alphabet backwards is one of them. Counting backwards, yes.
Don’t kid yourselves. It isn’t at all difficult for someone who hasn’t been drinking to tell if someone else has. Smell for starters. I don’t care if you claim vodka doesn’t smell. I think it does as do all the others.
As one who regularly drank and drove I’ll now state that such action might not be the most stupidly self-centered behavior possible, but it certainly is a contender.
My dad had a sort of field sobriety test. He failed and I was given the honor of going to the morgue with the highway patrolman to identify him. I not sure but I believe this sort of field sobriety test is valid regardless of location.
And by the way no lawyer will ever get you out of it.