Field sobriety testing is the means by which law enforcement officers determine if an individual on the road is intoxicated. Field sobriety testing is incurred after an individual is pulled over, generally for erratic driving or other signs of possible intoxication. As there are many things that may cause the appearance of drunken driving, such as a motorist simply having not slept enough or otherwise possessing poor control of their vehicle, in-depth testing is often employed to affirm that alcohol intoxication, or another form of chemical intoxication, is the issue at hand.
Field sobriety tests take on multiple forms. The simplest form of sobriety testing that can be done in the field after a car has been pulled over is to simply present the motorist with the option of a breathalyzer test. Breathalyzers are devices that analyze the chemical content of exhaled breath and determine whether or not the alcohol content within the vapor is heavy enough to make intoxication likely. Breathalyzers estimate blood alcohol content, which is used for legal baselines; depending upon state of residence, blood alcohol content must be kept under a certain number for a motorist to be considered sober, and having blood alcohol too high incurs an automatic arrest. In many states, refusing to consent to a breathalyzer test is considered evidence enough of intoxication and also results in an arrest. Breathalyzers are sterilized and fitted with protective coverings before each use to prevent any spread of infection between tested motorists.
The other form of field sobriety test takes much longer, but can be used to determine if an individual is unfit to drive and unsafely intoxicated from sources other than alcohol. The motorist is put through a series of simple tests of the nervous system and motor function. The curriculum for this series of tests may vary from state to state, and they may or may not feature cognitive assessments as well. The general staples of the test are the ability to walk a straight line heel-to-toe, or follow a line on the ground, the ability to touch one's fingers to one's nose moving only the elbows, with arms extended, and will sometimes require that the individual be able to recite the alphabet backward to determine if their cognitive function is impaired.
Field sobriety tests are a staple of highway safety performed by officers in nearly every country with laws regarding intoxicated driving, and for good reason--they are quick, simple, effective, and keep society at large much safer.
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