Georgia Field Sobriety Tests
In the Atlanta area, police officers use a series of physical and mental tests to determine whether or not a driver is impaired. These are known as field sobriety tests. If you have recently been charged with driving under the influence, the arresting officer may have asked you to perform tasks such as walking in a line and turning or standing on one leg.
There is a battery of three standardized field sobriety tests that have been developed by the NHTSA. These include the Horizontal Nystagmus test, the Walk-and-Turn test, and the One-Leg Stand test.
Horizontal nystagmus is the involuntary jerking of the eye. This jerking becomes more pronounced when a person becomes impaired. To administer this test, the police officer will ask the driver to keep his or her eyes on a small object such as a pen or a flashlight. While the driver is watching the object, the officer looks for signs of horizontal nystagmus.
The problem with this test is that there are many physical and optical problems that may cause nystagmus besides intoxication.
For the One-Leg Stand test, the officer will ask the driver to stand on one leg while keeping both arms at his or her side. During this test, the officer is watching to make sure the driver can remain balanced and follow directions. It is generally preferable that this test be performed on a smooth surface.
For the Walk-and-Turn test, the officer will ask the driver to take a number of heel-to-toe steps, then turn and walk back towards the officer. This test should be performed on a hard surface in dry weather. If the conditions are less than ideal, this test should not be performed.
There are several shortcomings with standard field sobriety tests. The most obvious issue is that these tests are highly subjective. The second issue is that physical issues unrelated to sobriety may impact a driver’s performance.
If you have been arrested for DUI after failing one or more of field sobriety tests, determined Atlanta DUI attorney Frank Gomez is here to help. His attorneys are experts on the latest DUI defense strategies and they know to tackle failing field sobriety test results.
You can fight a DUI charge and win. If you are interested in having top-notch DUI defense attorney Frank Gomez in the Atlanta area contact you, please complete a case evaluation form today!
