Los Angeles DUI Lawyer

www.shouselaw.com 888.327.4652 Field sobriety tests are a poor gauge of drunk driving. A California DUI lawyer explains. DUI field sobriety tests (“FSTs”) are designed to help law enforcement officers identify intoxication due to alcohol and/or drug use. Poor performance on these exercises (as well as difficulty following the officer’s instructions) is thought to be a sign of mental and physical impairment stemming from alcohol or drug consumption. Officers heavily rely on FST exercises as a part of their DUI investigations. So do district attorneys as part of their prosecutions. But these tests are, in fact, notoriously flawed and unreliable. Indeed, even the most trustworthy field sobriety tests are only between 65-77% accurate at detecting whether the driver is intoxicated.1 This means that, on average, one out of every three or four people who get arrested for DUI based on failing the FSTs are innocent. This is just one of the reasons why it is critical to consult with a DUI defense attorney if you have been arrested for driving under the influence after you performed field sobriety tests.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.