About Field Sobriety Tests

With Our DUI Attorneys in Gainesville

If you’ve been pulled over by a law enforcement officer who believes you may be driving under the influence (DUI), they may ask you to submit to a field sobriety test.

They may ask you to submit to one, some, or all three of the following field sobriety tests:

• Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN)
• Walk-And-Turn
• One-Leg Stand

The intention of these tests is to discern whether or not you are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. While these tests do not determine your blood alcohol content (BAC), law enforcement officers can use them to support their suspicion that you were violating the law.

One-Leg Stand

This test was designed to analyze your ability to effectively divide your attention. The police officer will tell you to stand up straight and then raise one leg about six inches above the ground. Then, you are to count out loud by thousands until the officer instructs you to put your foot back down. During the course of the test, the officer will keep an eye out for any main indicators of intoxication.

They will look to see if you:

• Were unbalanced and swayed while on one leg
• Had to use your arms in order to achieve balance
• Hopped on your leg in order to maintain your balance
• Put down your foot before you were instructed to do so

Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN)

HGN is the way in which your eyes involuntarily and naturally jerk when rotated at high angles. When an individual is under the influence of alcohol, HGN is more exaggerated and noticeable. Also, an intoxicated person’s eyes will have a more difficult time trying to smoothly follow an object moving in front of them.

For an HGN test, the officer will instruct you to hold your head still and use only your eyes to track an object moving in front of you horizontally. The officer will then look at your eyes as you follow the object to tell if you are unable to follow it smoothly, or if your eyes jerk uncontrollably.

Walk-And-Turn

Similar to the One-Leg Stand, this test is designed to test your ability to effectively divide your attention. The police officer will tell you to take about 10 steps in a straight line, one foot directly in front of the other. Once you have reached the final step, you will be instructed to pivot on the last foot and do the same thing in the opposite direction.

They will keep an eye out for numerous indicators of intoxication, including:

• If you took too many steps
• If you failed to walk heel-to-toe
• If you did not turn as you were told
• If you were forced to step off the straight line
• If you were forced to use your arms for balance
• If you were forced to stop walking in order to regain balance
• If you started the test before the officer instructed you to do so
• If you could not maintain balance while the officer gave you instructions