You’ve agreed to take standardized field sobriety tests and the next thing you know you are raising your foot off the ground, trying to balance on one leg. What is this test? What is the officer looking for? Those questions are the subject of today’s Peach State Lawyer video blog.
The last of the three standardized field sobriety tests is the one leg stand field sobriety test. This test is performed exactly how it sounds. The officer will have you stand with your feet together, hands down by your side. You will then raise one leg six inches off the ground and hold that position, counting out one thousand-one, one thousand-two, and so on, until the officer asks you to stop.
Typically, this test will last approximately thirty seconds. During this test, the officer is looking for four specific clues. Those clues are number one, putting your foot down, hopping, swaying, and using your arms for balance.
If any of these four clues happen once at any time during the test, it constitutes a clue. Exhibiting two clues out of four clues indicates to the officer that you are an impaired driver. An experienced Georgia DUI attorney can help you look at a copy of the video and point out the good and bad things done on the test. This includes the officer’s description and demonstration of the test.
In our experience, people who have nothing to drink can sometimes perform very poorly on this dexterity test.
Our officer of experienced Georgia DUI attorneys can look at your performance on any of these field sobriety tests and tell you the legal and factual defenses we can use to help get your charges dismissed, reduced, or prepared to fight at trial.
We’re available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week to meet with you regarding your pending DUI case. Call us today at 404-581-0999.
Thank you so much.
https://www.peachstatelawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/w-scott-smith-logo.png00Ryan Walshhttps://www.peachstatelawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/w-scott-smith-logo.pngRyan Walsh2016-09-07 13:38:242016-09-07 13:38:24VIDEO – One Leg Stand Field Sobriety Test
Imagine a straight line in front of you. Put your left foot on that line. Place your right foot in front of your left foot with your left toe touching your right heel. Put your hands down by your sides and hold that position without moving. Hello, I’m attorney Scott Smith and today we’re talking about the walk and turn field sobriety test, the second of the three standardized field sobriety tests approved by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration designed for the detection of impaired drivers.
Are you still holding that starting position I discussed in the beginning of this video? It’s tough isn’t it? Now imagine you’re on the side of the interstate with cars passing at seventy miles per hour, or in a parking lot next to a busy intersection with people looking on. You’ve got an officer that’s already told you that the test is to determine whether or not you’re safe to continue to drive. Is it getting more difficult? You haven’t even begun to actually walk the test yet.
The walk and turn field sobriety test provides the officer seventy-six different opportunities to notice eight clues of impairment. If the officer notices only two clues, it gives the officer enough evidence to believe you are an impaired driver.
The eight clues are broken down into two phases. The first phase is the instructional phase. During the instructional phase the officer asks you to get into the position described at the start of the video. During this instructional phase the officer is looking to see if you break that stance of if you start too soon by mimicking the officer’s movements. Those are the first two of eight clues.
During each series of nine steps you take, the officer is looking for four clues on each step. They are looking to see whether you miss touching heel to toe, whether you step off your line, whether you stop walking at any point during the step taking, or whether or not you use your arms for balance.
There are two final in the walking phase. One is for not turning exactly as instructed by the officer, and the final clue is for taking the incorrect number of steps in either series of nine steps, going out or coming back.
Does this test seem difficult to you to pass? The test isn’t designed to be passed. It is designed to show the officer clues of impairment to help them justify arresting you. We recommend to all our clients to politely refuse to participate in field sobriety testing, especially the dexterity testing. Do not help the officer make their case.
Our team of experienced Georgia DUI attorneys are trained just like the police officers in how to properly perform field sobriety evaluations. We are trained to look at each test and break down whether or not the instructions are correct, whether the officer demonstrated it correctly, and whether or not you actually exhibited the clues the officer said he saw at the time of you conducting these tests.
If you’ve been stopped for DUI and you are worried about your performance on the walk and turn field sobriety test, or whether or not you’ve just got questions for us, call our office today for a free consultation. We’re available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Our telephone number is 404-581-0999.
Thank you.
https://www.peachstatelawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/w-scott-smith-logo.png00Ryan Walshhttps://www.peachstatelawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/w-scott-smith-logo.pngRyan Walsh2016-09-07 11:01:272016-09-07 11:01:27VIDEO – Walk and Turn Field Sobriety Test
You’ve gone out with friends or family. You’ve had a few drinks and you’re driving home when you see the blue lights behind you. What do you do when stopped for DUI? That’s the topic of today’s Peach State Lawyer video blog. Hi, I’m Scott Smith and today we’re talking about what do you do when stopped for DUI after a night out drinking.
From the time you first notice an officer behind you, you need to know that the police officer has already begun their DUI investigation.
When you see those blue lights turn on, your first job is to pull over safely and quickly. Use your turn signal to indicate you notice the police officer behind you. Slow down and pull over onto the first side street or well-lit parking lot you see.
Once stopped, put your car in park and get your driver’s license out. Put it in a place where you can easily reach it as the officer will ask you for it. Check the time in your vehicle and think about where you were coming from before you were stopped and where you were going. Also know the addresses of any major cross streets in the area you were pulled over.
Expect the officer to approach your window and ask you if you know why you were pulled over. It is okay to tell them you are not sure why you were stopped. But know your statement can be an admission against you.
After this brief conversation officers will ask you more specific questions about how much you had to drink and where you were earlier that evening. Be careful with your answers. Any admissions of drinking can be used against you at trial. But a denial of drinking may be just as harmful as an admission.
Field sobriety tests are completely voluntary. Politely refuse them. These tests are designed solely to gather evidence that can help police officers make their decision to arrest you. You cannot pass these tests.
There are three standardized field sobriety tests that the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has determined are the only series of tests to determine alcohol impairment. These tests are number one the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, two, the walk and turn test, and three the one leg stand test. An in depth discussion of each of these tests is available in a separate video blog highlighting each of them.
You should also refuse to submit to a roadside breath test. Even though the officer will deny it, the roadside breath test will provide a number. And that number will be used by the officer in their decision to arrest you.
A DUI on your criminal history can follow you forever. Our office of experienced and trained Georgia DUI attorneys can help answer answer any questions you have about hypothetical situations or pending charges. We’re available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week to help you out. Call us today at 404-581-0999 for a free consultation.
Thank you so much.
https://www.peachstatelawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/w-scott-smith-logo.png00Ryan Walshhttps://www.peachstatelawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/w-scott-smith-logo.pngRyan Walsh2016-09-01 15:04:002016-09-01 15:04:00VIDEO – What to Do When Stopped for DUI
You’ve been stopped for DUI and the officer asks you to follow their finger with your eyes? What is this horizontal gaze nystagmus field sobriety test? And can it even be passed? That is the subject of today’s Peach State Lawyer video blog.
Hello, I’m attorney Scott Smith and today I’m standing in our mock trial courtroom. We’re talking about being asked out of your car after only having two drinks. The officer asks you to face him and with your hands by your side, feet shoulder width apart to follow his pen with your eyes. He asks you if you wear glasses or contacts or if you’ve had any recent head injuries. You’re about to perform the horizontal gaze nystagmus field sobriety test. It’s commonly known as the HGN test, or in the DUI world, the “eye” test.
What is this test?
The horizontal gaze nystagmus field sobriety test was originally designed by optometrists to diagnose medical issues within your eyes. The test checks for the involuntary jerking of your eye as your eyes move side to side horizontal to the floor following an object. Researchers determined some substances, particularly ethyl alcohol, and other central nervous system depressants, inhalants, and the drug PCP can cause horizontal gaze nystagmus in your eyes after use.
The horizontal gaze nystagmus field sobriety test, when properly performed looks for six clues of impairment. In Georgia DUI investigations, this test is the first of the standardized field sobriety evaluations.
Before the test can be performed on anyone, the officer is supposed to make sure both of your pupils are of equal size and your eyes move together from side to side. If you are having eye issues, the officer is supposed to discontinue the test immediately.
The clues are established in pairs. There are three tests performed that look for clues of impairment. The first test, called lack of smooth pursuit, is performed by the officer moving his finger back and forth across your field of vision, checking for nystagmus in both eyes as his finger or pen light is moving.
Because your eyes work together, each clue will be present in both eyes. If the officer says they notice a clue in one eye but not the other, the test would not be valid.
The second test is called distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation. It is where the officer moves his finger to the edge of your field of vision and holds it there for a minimum of four seconds to determine if your eye continues to exhibit sustained jerking when it is fixed on his finger at the edge of your field of vision.
These tests are designed to build upon each other, so you should never see clues present for distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation unless clues are present for lack of smooth pursuit.
The third and final test is called onset of nystagmus prior to a forty-five degree angle. The test is performed by the officer moving his finger slowly from the center of your field of vision until they reach a forty-five degree angle. When the officer begins to see nystagmus they are supposed to stop their finger and hold it to confirm the sustained jerking of the eye.
That’s it. That’s the entire horizontal gaze nystagmus field sobriety test. There’s nothing you can do to pass it. It’s all about the involuntary jerking of the eye and trusting that the officer in his report has documented his observations accurately.
As you can imagine, there are things that an experienced attorney can look for to determine whether the tests are performed correctly. If the tests are not performed correctly, an experienced DUI attorney can ensure the test should not be admitted into evidence or at trial against you.
Have you been recently arrested for DUI and asked to take this eye test? Do you have questions about the test? We’re available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to talk to you. Call us today for a free consultation. Our telephone number is 404-581-0999.
Thank you.
https://www.peachstatelawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/w-scott-smith-logo.png00Ryan Walshhttps://www.peachstatelawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/w-scott-smith-logo.pngRyan Walsh2016-09-01 14:11:562016-09-01 14:11:56VIDEO – Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test
