Fort Lauderdale Non-Standardized Field Sobriety Exercises Attorneys
Field sobriety exercises are used by police officers to provide them with probable cause that a motorist is driving while impaired. Some of these tests are standardized and while not scientific, they have been approved by government agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Other tests, however, are not standardized and therefore, are not considered as acceptable or as accurate. If you have been charged with a DUI after submitting to these tests, our Fort Lauderdale non-standardized field sobriety exercises attorney can help with your case.
Standard vs. Non-Standardized Field Sobriety Exercises
There are only three standard field sobriety exercises used by law enforcement. These include:
- Horizontal gaze nystagmus exercise: During this exercise, a police officer will hold a small object, usually a flashlight or pen, a few inches away from your eyes. They will move the object back and forth, as well as up and down, and observe your eye movements as you follow the object with your eyes. If your eyes exhibit jerky movements, the officer may determine that you are intoxicated.
- One leg stand exercise: To perform this test, you will stand with one leg approximately six inches off the ground. The officer may also instruct you to count to a certain number. The officer will observe your coordination, balance, and ability to follow instructions during the exercise.
- The walk and turn test: Like the one leg stand test, the walk and turn exercise is used to test your balance, coordination, and ability to follow the officer’s directions. They will tell you to walk, heel-to-toe, for a certain number of steps before turning around and walking back in the same manner.
Although all three of the above field sobriety exercises are standard, the results of only two are typically admissible in court. This is due to the fact that to correctly administer the horizontal gaze nystagmus exercise, the officer must have received advanced medical training, which most officers have not received.
What are Non-Standardized Field Sobriety Exercises?
Any test that is not one of the three listed above is considered a non-standardized field sobriety exercise. Police officers usually ask drivers to perform these non-standardized field sobriety exercises to further test their mental, physical, and verbal capabilities. Sometimes though, these exercises are used to exhaust drivers to the point where they can no longer perform them, and may exhibit behaviors similar to those of an impaired driver. Reciting the alphabet and touching one’s finger to their nose are just two types of non-standardized field sobriety exercises.
Call Our Fort Lauderdale Non-Standardized Field Sobriety Exercises Attorneys Today
If you were asked to perform any type of roadside test and have been charged with a DUI as a result, our Fort Lauderdale non-standardized field sobriety exercises attorney at Meldon Law can help. We know how to get these test results thrown out of court, particularly when the exercise was not standardized. Call us today at 800-373-8000 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.
