If you have been charged with drunk driving in Florida, you will want to be sure and educate yourself about the process so you can make appropriate decisions for your defense. One of the things you may want to learn about is the accuracy of the tests used in your arrest process. This includes not just any chemical test you may have taken but the field sobriety tests that you may have been asked to participate in as well.
One of those field tests is called the horizontal gaze nystagmus test. As explained by FieldSobrietyTests.org, this test has an accuracy rate of 77 percent. While that may seem low, you should know that it is the field test considered to be most accurate out of all three used as the other two have accuracy rates of 65 and 66 percent. The eye test measures a natural but involuntary jerking motion of your eyeballs. This motion is believed to be more pronounced if you are under the influence of a drug, including alcohol.
You should know that none of the field sobriety tests used by law enforcement officers are intended to prove that you are intoxicated. Instead, they are meant to give officers enough reason to suspect that you are intoxicated and to therefore support them placing you under arrest.
If you would like to learn more about the process involved in a DUI arrest and your options for a defense, please feel free to visit the drunk driving charges page of our Florida criminal defense website.