DUI Field Sobriety Tests Jacksonville Florida FL

Reader’s Question:

I’m doing some research about traffic crimes here in Jacksonville, Florida and my focus is now on DUI. I’m more interested in getting some information about the field sobriety tests. If someone will be arrested for DUI, is it necessary for the person to perform the field sobriety tests and what are the kinds of field sobriety tests that police officers often ask the DUI suspect to perform?

Dalia

Jacksonville, FL

In a DUI arrest in Jacksonville, Florida, police officers would ask a person suspected of DUI to perform a variety of Field Sobriety Tests (FST’s). The State of Florida considers these tests voluntary which means that the person may perform the FST’s or choose not to consent to them. FST’s are administered by police officers to measure the DUI suspect’s level of intoxication and also to establish probable cause for arrest. Because these kinds of tests are not an exact science, there are several challenges that can be made to their reliability. There are usually videotapes from the dash cam of the officer’s car and in a DUI case, these videos are being provided to the DUI defense lawyer by the State Attorney through the discovery process.

There are three standardized FST’s in the state of Florida namely horizontal gaze nystagmus, the walk and turn, and the one-leg stand. These standardized FST’s were developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which is also responsible for providing training for the police officers who administer the tests.

Tags: DUI, DUI lawyer, field sobriety tests