Step 3 – The Tests

Learn about the various tests law enforcement officers use to determine whether or not a driver is under the influence, including standardized field sobriety tests and breath samples.

• The DUI Investigation Mistake That Could Help Your Defense in Mississippi
  Intro In the DUI cases we handle, I’m seeing DUI officers make a certain mistake more and more often lately. In fact, this mistake is so common with a few Mississippi law enforcement agencies that you could say it might even be their policy. That mistake centers on the improper use of and reliance upon… Read more: The DUI Investigation Mistake That Could Help Your Defense in Mississippi
• Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, or “Pre-Arrest Screening”
  The next phase of DUI investigation is something the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calls “Pre-Arrest Screening,” which seems by its name to imply that the decision to arrest has been made. “Pre-Arrest Screening” sounds like something an officer does to make sure the person being arrested doesn’t have any medical issues, and not… Read more: Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, or “Pre-Arrest Screening”
• The Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test, or “I could see it in his eyes”
  The first of the tests is the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, or HGN. The idea behind this test is that the presence of alcohol or certain drugs in a person’s body impacts fine muscle movements, and the eyes are the best place to observe that. The officer starts by having the driver stand still with their… Read more: The Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test, or “I could see it in his eyes”
• Walk this way – The Walk and Turn standardized field sobriety test
  After the officer conducts the HGN test, they are taught to conduct the Walk and Turn (WAT) test. Like the HGN test, NHTSA has spent a lot of money over the years testing it out in labs and lab-like settings. Also like the HGN test, NHTSA likes to tout statistics to make people believe the… Read more: Walk this way – The Walk and Turn standardized field sobriety test
• The One Leg Stand test
  The final SFST is the One Leg Stand (OLS) test. Like the other two before it, NHTSA has spent time and money over the years testing this test, and has statistics that show it is 83% accurate. As with the others, there are reasons to doubt those statistics that are beyond the scope of this post. The… Read more: The One Leg Stand test