Florida motorists should, of course, only drive while sober. If a police officer suspects someone is under the influence, they can pull them over and make the driver take a field sobriety test.
What are field sobriety tests?
Field sobriety tests are used by police officers to check whether people are driving under the influence. Tests measure certain aspects that people can normally control if they are sober. If the person fails their field sobriety test, it can signify that they are impaired and should not be driving. The officer can also make an arrest for drunk driving if the person fails.
What are some of the most common field sobriety tests?
The Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus looks at a person’s eye movements. The police officer checks for indications that a driver might be impaired by alcohol. The person is required to carefully follow with their eyes as the officer moves an object in front of them. If the individual’s eyes waver or jerk, it shows that they’re impaired.
The Walk and Turn test requires the driver to walk several steps while touching the toe of one foot to the heel of the other foot. Meanwhile, they must walk in a straight line, turn around on one foot and repeat the same action in the other direction. If they lose their balance, stumble or make any jerky movements, it tells the police officer that the person is under the influence of alcohol.
The One Leg Stand test requires the person to stand on one foot with the other off the ground by six inches while they count for 30 seconds. If the person tries to balance better by using their arms, falls, sways or hops, the police officer can take that as an admission of intoxication and charge them with drunk driving.
Sometimes, a person may be accused of drunk driving when they are sober. If this has happened to you, fight back to protect your rights.