Field Sobriety Test

Prior to the officer arresting you for a DUI they typically request that you attempt several field sobriety tests.  Field sobriety tests are voluntary.  These tests are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  Most of Georgia’s DUI officers are NHTSA trained and certified.  Most officers will ask you to complete a minimum of three field sobriety tests: the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test (HGN), the one-leg stand test, and the walk and turn test.

Attorney The Lynch Law Group has gone through the same extensive training course in the administration and performance of NHTSA’s field sobriety testing as Georgia’s most highly trained and decorated DUI officers.  The Lynch Law Group has the same, if not more, DUI training as many of the officers out there making arrests.  Our office uses this training against officers who have done their jobs poorly and wrong.

With the administration of each test, the arresting officer is attempting to build a case against you. With each passing test they are collecting information they hope to justify your arrest for DUI. Their reasoning is the worse you perform on their field sobriety tests, the less likely you are to be capable of driving safely.  These tests can be attacked from a technical performance approach and a common sense approach.  NHTSA requires officers to perform the field sobriety tests according to strict guidelines.  Frequently, officers are untrained or poorly trained and the tests results are not worth the paper the police report is printed on.