Los Angeles Field Sobriety Tests

DUI Lawyer in Los Angeles

When a police officer or other law enforcement agent suspects that you are operating a car while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, he or she may ask you to perform a field sobriety test. These tests do not test the chemical level of drugs or alcohol in your bloodstream and do not require you to give breath, blood or urine. On the contrary, these tests are purely physical. These evaluations are given by the officer and are subject to his or her judgment, rather than based on scientific evidence of intoxication.

If you have been arrested for drunk driving based on a field sobriety test, please contact a Los Angeles DUI attorney at the Law Offices of Loren M. Merlin as soon as possible. It is very important that you protect your rights. We will work tirelessly on your behalf in order to give you the best possible chance at receiving a positive outcome in your DUI case.

Types of Field Sobriety Tests

Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN): The officer will ask you to follow a light or an object with your eyes. Supposedly a shaking movement of the eyes will betray intoxication.

Walk and Turn: The officer will ask you to walk several steps in two different directions, heel to toe. The officer will look for balance issues and also issues with following his or her directions to you while administering the test.

One Leg Stand: The officer will ask you to stand on one leg for a specified amount of time. The officer is looking to see if you have balance issues or issues with following his or her directions to you.

According to tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), even if the tests are administered 100% correctly, none of the previously mentioned examinations alone has an accuracy level of over 80%. Your attorney will use everything possible to give you an enhanced chance at receiving a desirable outcome in your test.

Contact a Los Angeles field sobriety test lawyer today.