Field Sobriety Tests

Nevada Field Sobriety Tests

Field sobriety tests are commonly shown on television and in movies, but not all field sobriety tests are made equal. Nevada only allows police officers to use a few specific tests and even those have been shown to be unreliable evidence of intoxication.

If you have been arrested on suspicion  of driving under the influence, contact LV Criminal Defense as soon as possible to begin your defense. Nick Wooldridge – an experienced Las Vegas DUI defense lawyer – will work to get field sobriety test evidence thrown out, which weakens the state’s case against you.

Am I required to submit to field sobriety testing during a Las Vegas traffic stop?

Few people know that field sobriety tests are not required even if the police ask. Police officers are probably not going to tell you that during a traffic stop in Las Vegas.

You should know that refusing to take a field sobriety test may be treated as probable cause to submit you to further testing, such as a breath test or blood test.

Field Sobriety Testing: National Standards and Nevada requirements

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a national agency that has created field sobriety tests to standardize the procedures police officers use to determine whether someone is driving under the influence. These tests are not the only evidence the police can gather against you in a traffic stop for suspicion of driving under the influence. The police officer’s observations of any of your actions can be used in court.

Police officers are watching you to make sure you do these things while they give you instructions for each of the field sobriety tests:

• Maintaining your balance; and
• Waiting to begin the test until the instructions are complete.

Another test requires you to stand on one foot for 30 seconds while counting aloud. This test is difficult even while sober, especially because the officer will consider the test failed if you hop on one foot, put your foot down, use your arms to keep your balance, or sway.

The final field sobriety test that is most commonly used by Las Vegas police officers is the horizontal gaze test. A police officer will ask you to follow a pen with your eyes to th left and right to check whether the eyes move smoothly, or whether they move involuntarily and in short jerks.

There are other tests that an officer may use; a common one is the finger to nose test that you may have seen on television.