When facing a field sobriety test, you may think it is not as serious as other sobriety detection tools. Unfortunately, this is an underestimation that has gotten plenty of people into hot water before.
Before you end up facing field sobriety tests, you should understand what they are. Why are they used so often? What is their purpose? And most importantly, what happens if you fail one?
Types of field sobriety tests
VeryWell Mind examines field sobriety test results and the potential impact they have. First, there are two types of these tests: standardized and non-standardized. Standardized tests came about due to accusations of officer bias heavily influencing field sobriety test results. There are only three types of standardized field sobriety tests.
Officers tend to use them first because they are not as invasive as other tests, like breath analysis tests. On top of that, officers do not need additional equipment. Unlike breath or blood analysis tests, officers can give a field sobriety test without much preparation or planning.
Impact of officer bias
However, due to the history of officer bias interfering in results, they do not often serve as strong proof in cases. Courts are well aware of their flaws and so are officers. They will likely never use field sobriety test results as the primary pillar of their argument. Sometimes, they are not even used as supporting pillars.
Do not make the mistake of taking field sobriety tests lightly, though. Officers may use a failed field sobriety test as a reason for further testing, which can have a bigger impact in court. You may thus want to contact legal help to see what to do.