THE TESTS

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has standardized three field sobriety tests, which can bear more influence in the courtroom as they are officially recognized tests.

These standardized tests include the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, the walk-and-turn test, and the one-leg stand test.

Other tests often administered are so untrustworthy they are not even standardized by the NHTSA. These tests include the rhomberg balance test, the finger-to-nose test, the finger-count test, the hand pat test, the ABC test, and the numbers backwards test.

Both standardized and unstandardized tests are "divided attention" tests. These tests analyze a person's ability to clearly follow instructions and subsequently perform simple tasks upon request.

The catch is, particularly under the conditions these tests are administered, the tasks are often far from simple. Furthermore field sobriety tests only provide police officers with inferences and assumptions, not definitive proof of anything relating to alcohol and drug impairment.

Whether standardized or not, your participation in any field sobriety test is voluntary. It is in your best interest to politely refuse to take any of these tests, and call a Seattle DUI attorney immediately to talk about your options.

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