Reader’s Question:

I often wonder how police officers in Edison, New Jersey determine that a driver is intoxicated when they conduct field sobriety tests such as the walk and turn. What hints are these officers looking for when they ask someone to take the walk and turn test?

Elbert

Edison, NJ

The walk and turn test is a standardized field sobriety test (SFST) that is considered a divided attention test. In doing this test, the person suspected of DWI takes 9 heel-to-toe steps, turns in a prescribed manner, take 9 heel-to-toe steps back, while counting the steps out loud. The steps in this test are taken down a straight line but if an actual line is not present, the person is instructed to walk down an imaginary line. The walking phase divides the individual’s attention between keeping his/her balance, taking the proper number of steps, counting out loud and turning in the prescribed manner while keeping the arms at his/her side.

Police officers in Edison, New Jersey are looking for eight specific hints that a driver is intoxicated when they administer the walk and turn test. These hints include the driver could not balance during instructions, starts too soon, stops while walking, doesn’t touch heel-to-toe, steps off line, uses arms for balance, loses balance on turn or turns incorrectly and takes the wrong number of steps. According to original research, the driver is intoxicated if two or more hints are present and this test has shown to be accurate 68% of the time.

Tags: DWI, DWI lawyer, field sobriety tests