Tests used in the field by police officers in Okaloosa County & Walton County to help determine sobriety are referred to as Field Sobriety Tests, Field Sobriety Tasks, or Field Sobriety Exercises…. but they all mean the same thing.
The officer wants you to perform physical exercises in order to establish your level of alcohol impairment for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or Boating Under the Influence (BUI).
Are DUI Field Sobriety Tests Unfairly Designed To Make You Fail?
Created by law enforcement and highway safety enforcers with the assistance of state prosecutors, Field Sobriety Tasks are in place to facilitate the prosecution of DUI’s based on physical impairment alone. They were not designed to help driver’s establish their sobriety so that the officer will think they are “okay to drive.”
Since the goal is prosecution, they created as many steps as possible so it would be virtually impossible to complete the test perfectly. With so many more ways to get the tasks wrong, it makes it more difficult to do it right.
Meanwhile, the DUI investigator will characterize and tabulate these “clues” to establish probable cause to arrest you, and make you look more impaired in the police report.
In order to assist the officers, their DUI investigation packets contain long checklists of the most common mistakes people make when completing each exercise, and some police officers check the same boxes on every single case.
The bottom line is this: if you take a Field Sobriety Test after a DUI stop, you will fail it. Even if you’ve had nothing to drink, it’s very difficult to “pass”.
If you failed a field sobriety test and then took a blood alcohol test and were arrested for DUI, call us at (850) 362-6655 to discuss your situation. The call is free.
Lupella & Rehr help individuals and families in the communities of Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Sandestin, Santa Rosa Beach, Navarre, Niceville, Mary Esther, Crestview, Defuniak Springs and throughout Okaloosa County, Walton County, and Santa Rosa County.
More Information About DUI Arrests, Court & Procedures
- First DUI
- Is It Possible To Get A DUI in Destin, Fort Walton Beach or Okaloosa County Dismissed Or Reduced?
- What Are The Potential Penalties For A Misdemeanor DUI in Okaloosa County & Walton County, Florida?
- Field Sobriety Tests For DUI Stops In Okaloosa County & Walton County
- What Happens After A DUI Arrest in Okaloosa County or Walton County, FL
- Do I Need A Lawyer For A DUI In Florida?
- Second DUI
- Third DUI & Repeat Offenses
- Felony DUI
- License Suspension
- Under 21 DUI
- General DUI Defense