Tampa DUI Lawyers

Field Sobriety Tests

A person's performance on field sobriety tests are usually very misleading.   They are not meant to be easy and are designed to make you fail.  Even a sober person may be unable to pass the field sobriety tests due to poor coordination or balance, due to his or her weight, or because of inadequate instructions by the police officer. Poor road and weather conditions may also affect the outcome of a test.

Field sobriety tests are any one of a number of tests that a Tampa police officer will conduct after he or she has made initial contact and pulled you over for suspected DUI. Field sobriety tests are not always accurate and cannot truly determine whether a person is actually driving under the influence. They are mainly used to help the officer determine whether he or she will arrest you for DUI and take you to the station, where actual blood alcohol testing can take place. Something you may not be aware of is that field sobriety tests in Florida are voluntary – meaning that you do not have to submit to them if you do not want to.

Standard Tampa Field Sobriety Tests

The three standardized field sobriety tests used in Tampa are:

Horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN): this test is conducted by having the DUI suspect follow an object (a pen or a finger) with his or her eyes. Horizontal gaze nystagmus is the condition of the involuntary jerking of the eyes. When a Tampa DUI suspect has difficulty following an object with his or her eyes, this is considered to be a sign of intoxication.

Walk and turn: during this test, the suspect will be asked to walk 9 steps in one direction, heel to toe, and then turn around and walk 9 steps in the opposite direction. This is a test of the person’s balance and ability to follow instructions.

One leg stand: this test is another to test balance, coordination and the ability to follow instructions. The officer will ask the DUI suspect to stand on one leg, raising the other foot approximately 6 inches off the ground, counting out loud, until the officer says to stop.

If you have been arrested for DUI, contact a Tampa DUI lawyer at Finebloom & Haenel today!