SFST's: Are They Reliable?

Standard Field Sobriety Tests are considered to be one reliable clue of intoxication. In Texas, there are three separate tests that comprise the Standard Field Sobriety Tests administered by the police. It is generally accepted by scientists that the best indicator of intoxication is a blood alcohol test. They acknowledge that field sobriety tests (the non-chemical kind) are not as reliable as blood alcohol tests.

One of the main reasons that Standard Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) are considered less reliable, is that there is a subjective component to the tests. This is compared to the objectiveness of the blood alcohol tests--that is, using a scientific method, a toxocologist can relatively accurately determine the BAC of a driver. There are a number of field sobriety tests that have been used to assis the officer in making an arrest decision. Note: these include much more than the Standard Field Sobriety Tests. These are:

• Asking distracting/interrupting questions.
• Finger to nose.
• Finger count test.
• Reciting or writing the alphabet, with signature and time and date.
• Counting backwards from 100.
• Tracing (a paper-and-pencil exercise).
• Romberg Balance test.
• Romberg Balance test combined with Finger to Nose.
• Nystagmus ("HGN").
• One leg stand.
• Line walk.
• Hand Pat.
• Picking up coins.
• Recitation of date and time.
• Standing heel to toe.

We will evaluate some of these and discuss each test's relability. If you have been arrested for DWI, contact a Plano DWI lawyer today.