Police officers employ the use of Field Sobriety Tests (FST’s) in assisting determine whether a person is intoxicated (mental or physical impairment) for the purposes of developing a criminal DUI case.  The DUI lawyers of Gurovich, Berk & Associates are aware that the FST’s are not accurate and are simply an indicator of intoxication.  These tests are in no way conclusive.   The most common FTS’s are:

1- Romberg test which consists of a person standing with feet together, hands at his/her side, with the head tilted back and estimating the passage of 30 seconds

2- Finger to nose

3- The one leg stand where a person is instructed to stand on one leg for a specific period of time

4- HGN, horizontal gaze nystagmus where a person is instructed to keep his/her head steady while following an object (usually a pen or finger) with his/her eyes

5- Walk & turn using a heal to toe walk and then turning back around using the same method of walking

In addition to the FST’s, police officers utilize Preliminary Alcohol Screening devises.  These are, in essence, compact breathalyzer devises that assist a police officer determine what is a person’s conteentration of blood alcohol.