What are standardized field sobriety tests?

Q: What are the standardized field sobriety tests?

A: You can expect that when a police officer pulls you over and suspects that you consumed alcohol the standardized tests he or she will give you will include:

  • The finger-to-nose test
  • Reciting the alphabet
  • Walk a straight line
  • A one-leg stand
  • What is called a horizontal-gaze nystagmus test, which means that the police officer is shining a light into your eye to see whether your pupils react appropriately
  • And there is also where you stand with your legs together and your arms out and your head tilted back and your eyes closed and you attempt to touch your nose

So there are multiple field sobriety tests that the police officer can ask you to perform, but it is important that you understand that you do not have to perform those tests. You can respectfully decline to perform those tests.