Police officers can stop drivers if they have a reasonable suspicion that they are impaired. Upon stopping the vehicle, officers will start to look for further evidence. One way that they can do this is to have the driver participate in field sobriety tests.
Field sobriety tests are intended to measure whether or not a driver is under the influence. Outlined below are the different types of field sobriety tests.
3 standardized field sobriety tests you can anticipate
Standardized field sobriety tests (SFSTs) have been approved by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA). There are three types of SFSTs including:
- Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test: An unimpaired driver’s eyes should be able to follow the movement of an object, such as a pen, smoothly when it goes side to side. Officers get drivers to follow an object with their eyes to check for rapid movements or twitching. An impaired driver’s eyes will often start to twitch at certain angles.
- Walk-and-turn test: If you were to try walking for nine steps heel-to-toe, turn 108 degrees, and do the same again, it actually requires a lot of focus. This is why officers use the walk-and-turn test to measure impairment. Someone drunk or impaired by substances will usually struggle to complete this task without losing their balance.
- One-leg stand test: This involves the driver standing with one foot six inches off the ground. The idea is that an impaired driver will be unable to maintain balance for the required 30 seconds.
Officers may also opt to use non-standardized tests such as reciting the alphabet, counting from 10 back to zero and touching your nose while your eyes are closed.
Field sobriety tests are problematic
While it is unlawful to refuse chemical sobriety tests, field sobriety tests are not obligatory. These tests are very subjective and they depend on the judgment of individual officers rather than science. If you are facing DUI charges, it’s important to seek legal guidance as soon as you can.