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California Field Sobriety Tests - FSTs

The State of California has a Standard Field Sobriety Test – FST that usually includes three main tests and several other tests a law enforcement official can use to establish probable cause for charging a driver with driving under the influence of alcohol. The California DUI defense attorneys at Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP have many decades of experience challenging the validity of field sobriety tests. If we can prove that a field sobriety test was improperly administered in any way, the results of the field sobriety test may be rendered inadmissible as evidence and the DUI charges may be dropped.

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California and other states developed field sobriety tests to provide evidence of intoxication and supposedly help law enforcement officials assess whether or not a driver was operating their vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Any officer who performs field sobriety tests must have the proper accreditation or the field sobriety test evidence gathered in a DUI case can be called in to question. What is more, if a law enforcement official determines that a field sobriety test or FST is necessary, certain administrative guidelines must be followed while administering the tests to ensure that the test responses are measured objectively. If field sobriety tests are improperly administered, an experienced California drunk driving defense attorney knows how to use that to your advantage to get the charges reduced or even dismissed.

California DUI Defense Law Firm

The three main field sobriety tests in California are:

• The Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus – HGN
  This test monitors the natural involuntary movements of the pupils of the eyes. If someone is under the influence of alcohol, their eyes often have difficulty smoothly tracking moving objects. Studies have shown that this field sobriety test is less than 60 percent accurate and often improperly administered. There are three clues for each eye and even experienced officers cannot name all three.
• The Walk and Turn
  This field sobriety test is also known as a divided attention test and requires a person to follow instructions while they move; such as walking heel-to-toe while for nine steps, pivoting and taking another nine steps on a straight line. If someone is under the influence, he or she may have difficulty maintaining their balance or following directions properly. But maybe you have a medical condition that precludes you from successfully completing these tests!
• The One-Leg Stand
  In this test, a suspected drunk driver is to stand still for 30 seconds while keeping one foot in the air. This test is very difficult to perform whether someone has been drinking alcohol or not and failure is not at all a clear indication that someone has been drinking.

Other common field sobriety tests include a finger count test, an alphabet test, having the driver touch their finger to their nose or standing at attention and timing test also called a modified position of attention and Romberg test.

Experienced California Drunk Driving Defense Lawyers

The results of these FSTs and other subjective field sobriety tests are notoriously inaccurate and without the assistance of an experienced California Breathalyzer test attorney, could lead to a driver a false conviction of DUI! Don’t take a chance with your driver’s license and freedom by representing yourself in court! Call the California DUI defense lawyers at Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP today to schedule a free consultation.

Please call 1-866-790-3030 for a FREE DUI CONSULTATION!

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