Your DUI Arrest: Issues With Field Sobriety Tests and Chemical Tests

When you are pulled over for drunk driving, typically you are asked to submit to different types of tests so that officers can determine your level of sobriety. There are the field sobriety tests, also known as "FST"s, and there are chemical tests. Law enforcement use the results of these tests to build a case against you in DUI court. However, there have been many cases in which DUI defense lawyers have shown that there are various issues and inconsistencies with these tests.

Field sobriety tests are used to check a driver's attention span, physical coordination, and how well the driver can keep his/her balance. These field sobriety tests include "walk the line", reciting the alphabet, one-leg-stand, walk-and-turn, and the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN). The issue with field sobriety tests is that people who are sober even have a difficult time performing these properly, especially under pressure and the scrutinizing eye of a police officer. The subjective nature of field sobriety test results makes them especially questionable when they are used to indicate your degree of intoxication.

Chemical tests can consist of an individual breathing into a breathalyzer machine or taking a blood test. These chemical tests are supposed to check your blood alcohol content (BAC). However, DUI lawyers have found that testing methods can be inconsistent, the breathalyzer machine or blood sample can be contaminated, calibration of testing equipment may be incorrect, and other confounding factors can result in inaccurate blood alcohol content (BAC) readings.

The issues with field sobriety tests and chemical tests are a good enough reason to hire a DUI lawyer to help you if you are arrested for a DUI. An experienced DUI defense lawyer can conduct an investigation to check for inconsistencies in any of the tests that were done.