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 Saturday, September 04, 2010
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Field Sobriety Tests
A field sobriety test is a series of physical and cognitive (mental) tests that an arresting police officer gives when they expect a person may be guilty of drunk driving.
These tests are used to determine probable cause for a DUI arrest and are not generally used to support a DUI conviction. Scroll down for more DUI field sobriety test information.
If you or a loved one are in need of a DUI Attorney in Elk Grove, Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom or the surrounding areas, fill out the contact form below now.
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Our Law Firm has been interviewed by the following local, national and international media outlets for our outstanding work assisting our clients and unique services offered.
Our Law Firm has been interviewed by the following local, national and international media outlets for our outstanding work assisting our clients and unique services offered.
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What is a Field Sobriety Test?
A field sobriety test is a series of physical and/or cognitive (mental) tests to determine whether a driver is too impaired to drive a vehicle. By their nature field sobriety tests are subjective in nature and this sobriety test relies heavily on the opinion of the arresting officer.
In addition to the mental or physical tests given, the police officer my make use of a small, hand-held breathalyzer as part of a field sobriety test. These small breathalyzer units are called “preliminary alcohol screening” or “preliminary breath test” units. The breathalyzer test taken during a field sobriety test is used to determine probable cause for arrest and is not the “official” blood alcohol content. Due to their relative inaccuracy these preliminary breathalyzer tests were never intended to be used in court for proving actual blood alcohol content though these units are still regularly used during a field sobriety test.
What sobriety tests are normally used during a field sobriety test?
Field sobriety tests are known as “divided attention tests” that theoretically test suspect’s ability to perform the type of mental and physical actions that are needed to drive a vehicle.
The most common field sobriety tests are:
- Horizontal gaze (nystagmus) test:
- This field sobriety test involves following an object with the eyes to determine characteristic eye movement reactions associated with being drunk.
- Walk and Turn:
- For this sobriety test a suspect walks along a straight line, heel to toe, then must spin and walk back to his or her starting point along the line.
- One Leg Stand:
- As might be expected the one leg stand field sobriety test is completed when a suspect raises one foot into the air balancing all body weight on the other leg.
- Romberg Test:
- The Romberg field sobriety test is also known as the modified-position-of-attention test. This usually involves the suspect putting their feet together with their head back and eyes closed for 30 seconds. The arresting officer looks to see if balance can be maintained during the Romberg test.
- Finger to Nose:
- For this field sobriety test a suspect usually has to tip their head back, close their eyes and touch the tip of their nose with their index finger.
What is a Field Sobriety Test?
A field sobriety test is a series of physical and/or cognitive (mental) tests to determine whether a driver is too impaired to drive a vehicle. By their nature field sobriety tests are subjective in nature and this sobriety test relies heavily on the opinion of the arresting officer.
In addition to the mental or physical tests given, the police officer my make use of a small, hand-held breathalyzer as part of a field sobriety test. These small breathalyzer units are called “preliminary alcohol screening” or “preliminary breath test” units. The breathalyzer test taken during a field sobriety test is used to determine probable cause for arrest and is not the “official” blood alcohol content. Due to their relative inaccuracy these preliminary breathalyzer tests were never intended to be used in court for proving actual blood alcohol content though these units are still regularly used during a field sobriety test.
What sobriety tests are normally used during a field sobriety test?
Field sobriety tests are known as “divided attention tests” that theoretically test suspect’s ability to perform the type of mental and physical actions that are needed to drive a vehicle.
The most common field sobriety tests are:
- Horizontal gaze (nystagmus) test:
- This field sobriety test involves following an object with the eyes to determine characteristic eye movement reactions associated with being drunk.
- Walk and Turn:
- For this sobriety test a suspect walks along a straight line, heel to toe, then must spin and walk back to his or her starting point along the line.
- One Leg Stand:
- As might be expected the one leg stand field sobriety test is completed when a suspect raises one foot into the air balancing all body weight on the other leg.
- Romberg Test:
- The Romberg field sobriety test is also known as the modified-position-of-attention test. This usually involves the suspect putting their feet together with their head back and eyes closed for 30 seconds. The arresting officer looks to see if balance can be maintained during the Romberg test.
- Finger to Nose:
- For this field sobriety test a suspect usually has to tip their head back, close their eyes and touch the tip of their nose with their index finger.
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- The Alphabet:
- All or part of the alphabet must be recited during this field sobriety test. You do not need to recite the alphabet backwards during a field sobriety test, this is a myth.
- Counting Fingers:
- For this field sobriety test a person touches each finger of the hand to the thumb, counting with each touch (1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1).
- Counting Backwards:
- During this field sobriety test a person simply counts backwards starting from some random number.
- Preliminary Breath Tester:
- A field sobriety test of this type involves breathing into a small digital breathalyzer.
The most accurate field sobriety tests are generally considered to be the horizontal gaze test, the walk and turn test and the one-leg stand. Together these three tests are known as the standardized and they are being adopted more and more as the standard by police.
Do field sobriety tests work?
Field sobriety test accuracy is highly debatable. As is noted above, the results of a sobriety test are highly subjective and rely a great deal on the arresting officer’s opinion.
Many sober people are unable to perform field sobriety tests under normal conditions, a false positive rate of 23% has been reported. It has been reported that the walk and turn test is only 68% accurate and the one-leg stand test is only 65% accurate in healthy individuals. People with medical conditions, injuries, are 65 or older or 50 or more pounds overweight cannot be accurately judged by these sobriety tests in many cases.
- The Alphabet:
- All or part of the alphabet must be recited during this field sobriety test. You do not need to recite the alphabet backwards during a field sobriety test, this is a myth.
- Counting Fingers:
- For this field sobriety test a person touches each finger of the hand to the thumb, counting with each touch (1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1).
- Counting Backwards:
- During this field sobriety test a person simply counts backwards starting from some random number.
- Preliminary Breath Tester:
- A field sobriety test of this type involves breathing into a small digital breathalyzer.
The most accurate field sobriety tests are generally considered to be the horizontal gaze test, the walk and turn test and the one-leg stand. Together these three tests are known as the standardized and they are being adopted more and more as the standard by police.
Do field sobriety tests work?
Field sobriety test accuracy is highly debatable. As is noted above, the results of a sobriety test are highly subjective and rely a great deal on the arresting officer’s opinion.
Many sober people are unable to perform field sobriety tests under normal conditions, a false positive rate of 23% has been reported. It has been reported that the walk and turn test is only 68% accurate and the one-leg stand test is only 65% accurate in healthy individuals. People with medical conditions, injuries, are 65 or older or 50 or more pounds overweight cannot be accurately judged by these sobriety tests in many cases.
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