If you are pulled over for suspected drunk driving, you may be asked to take one or more field sobriety tests to determine. Designed to indicate whether or not a driver is intoxicated, these assessments are used to by law enforcement officials to gauge balance, coordination and mental clarity.
Police officers often cite poor performance on these tests as justification for conducting a portable Breathalyzer test to determine a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC). There is a problem with this approach to DWI stops, however, because these assessments can be unreliable in establishing intoxication. As a result, numerous drivers may be wrongly presumed to be guilty of drunk driving.
An attorney understands the flaws associated with field sobriety tests and can question the validity of any assessments as part of your DWI defense.
If you’d like to learn more about DWI defense options that may be available,
Calling 212-500-3273
There are a number of assessments used by law enforcement officials, but all of these tests have one thing in common: They are can be ineffective at identifying whether or not a person is intoxicated. Assessments may be divided into two types.
Standardized field sobriety tests include the:
Non-standardized field sobriety tests include:
The primary differentiating factor between these two types of tests is that the standardized tests are recognized to be more reliable than non-standardized tests. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has determined this to be the case, the agency has also found that none of these tests are foolproof in determining intoxication. As a result, a lawyer may be able to challenge performance on assessments as a possible defense strategy..
If you have been charged with an intoxicated driving offense, it’s important to contact a lawyer as soon as possible. After carefully analyzing your case, this legal representative can help determine if field sobriety tests were incorrectly administered and whether your performance on them could render them inadmissible in court.
An attorney can also explore what factors in your case could be used to benefit your DWI defense. For example, if you were wrongly pulled over by a police officer, your lawyer may be able to have your charges dismissed by showing that there was not probable cause for a DWI stop.
You can set up a case evaluation with one of our New York City DWI lawyers by
Calling 212-500-3273