Arizona Field Sobriety Tests
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You were arrested and charged with DUI in Arizona. But you remember something strange about the arrest. The officer asked you to perform some physical testing – sometimes strange and awkward tasks right on the side of the highway. This is known as field sobriety testing. And while police may state that you failed your field sobriety test, this is not necessarily the case. There are many reasons a person may fail a field sobriety test – and it’s not always related to alcohol consumption. First, we’ll explain what they are, why police use them and what they mean to your DUI case.
What is a Field Sobriety Test?
Law enforcement use field sobriety tests as a way of measuring your level of intoxication. They conduct these on the scene during a vehicle stop. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has approved only three field sobriety tests for police to use: Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN), the Walk and Turn and the One Leg Stand. The HGN tests for any involuntary eye jerking by having you follow an object with your eyes. However, some people have a natural nystagmus so this is not always caused by alcohol consumption!
The Walk and Turn has you walk nine heel-to-toe steps on a line (sometimes imaginary!) and counting out loud. The One Leg stand requires you to raise one leg six inches off the ground with your toe pointed out. However, if you have knee or hip problems or the officer did not demonstrate the test first how can you be expected to “pass”? Officers may also use a variety of other field sobriety tests such as the Rhomberg test, Finger-to-Nose, Reciting the Alphabet or Counting Backwards.
That’s why we take a look at your field sobriety test results. The prosecution will try to use your FST results against you in court if you did poorly. But we get to the bottom of your case. In fact, Mr. Loss is a certified HGN/Field Sobriety Instructor. At the end of the day, we don’t just take their word for it. We’ll find out if you have any physical problems that could have caused you to fail a field sobriety test.
5400 W. Northern Avenue . Suite 104
Glendale, AZ 85301
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Phone: 623-931-6362 . Fax: 623-931-1061
Email: azduiatty@aol.com
