A field sobriety test is often used by police officers to determine if people are under the influence of drugs or alcohol while they are driving. During the test, the officers will have the person perform a number of physical and mental tests to determine possible impairment. These can include having a person stand on one foot, walk in a straight line and others. If a person fails a field sobriety test, police may have the probable cause they need to make a drunk driving arrest or administer a blood alcohol content test. Utah police claim that one man recently failed a field sobriety test prior to his arrest for DUI. In this case, police officers claim that they were alerted to an accident that had occurred on Interstate 15. According to officers, a man was driving a Ford F-150 when he lost control of the truck. The truck left the roadway and hit a traffic sign before coming to a stop. Police allege that following the accident, they became suspicious of the man’s behavior. The man consented to the field sobriety test, police claim, and failed. He was then taken to a local hospital for a blood test and arrested on several criminal charges including DUI. His bail was set at $1,950.
Field sobriety tests must be completed accurately according to standardized guidelines in order to be admissible. If police make mistakes while giving these tests, the evidence may not be used in court. In these cases, the accused could see their charges dropped. Therefore, it is important for those facing DUI charges to ensure that any tests — including a field sobriety test — are performed accurately by police.
Source: St. George News, “Driver slams into freeway sign; DUI arrest,” T.S. Romney, July 22, 2014