Field Sobriety Tests

San Diego DUI Defense

When people are stopped for suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) in the state of California, there are several things police will do to determine if drivers are intoxicated.  The first thing they will do is to examine people's appearances and look inside vehicles for open containers of alcohol.  If police believe that people appear to be under the influence, the next thing they may ask is for people to exit their vehicles and perform field sobriety tests (FSTs).

Decades ago, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration came up with a series of agility based tests that were supposed to reveal if people were impaired by alcohol or drugs.  When these tests were created, it was believed that if people were under the influence, their coordination would be impaired and they would find it challenging to perform agility tests, like walking a straight line.  Today, this belief still holds true as police routinely use field sobriety tests when trying to decipher whether or not people are intoxicated.

Unlike many years ago, law enforcement only uses 3 standard tests.  These field sobriety tests are the one leg stand, the horizontal gaze nystagmus and the walk and turn.  If people do not perform the tests to the satisfaction of police officers, it is assumed by the officers that the people are under the influence of intoxicating substances.  Police will then ask people to submit to breath tests and if the results of the breath tests are 0.08% or higher, people will be arrested for driving under the influence and be escorted to the nearest police station for booking.

If you were charged with DUI based upon field sobriety tests results that were questionable, contact a San Diego DUI lawyer at the Law Offices of Aaron T. Hicks to learn what legal options and defenses are at your disposal!