When you are on your way home from a night out, the last thing you want to see is lights flashing in your mirrors. While you may not feel like you had too much to drink, you know the officer could form a different opinion.
Frequently, officers will ask you to perform a field sobriety test. Some field sobriety tests will require you to step out of the vehicle. Still, others, like the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, are performed while you are in your car.
Here’s what you should know about trying to pass a field sobriety test while drunk.
There are some skills you can practice
One of the challenges with field sobriety tests is that they test the common effects of intoxication without testing for actual intoxication. Tests typically center around skills like balance and coordination since those tend to be the areas most affected by alcohol consumption and have the most significant impact on driving skills.
Although balance and coordination are skills you can practice and improve, they will not be enough to get you through a drunk driving stop. Officers look at more than your performance on one field sobriety test.
There are some signs you cannot hide
When an officer pulls you over and suspects you have been drinking, they are looking for several traits, such as:
- Slurred speech
- Loud or fast speech
- Confusion
- Glossy eyes
- Slowed breathing
These are often the signs that lead an officer to ask you for a field sobriety test. When you perform the test, officers typically have already determined you are intoxicated.
Additionally, officers may perform the horizontal gaze nystagmus test where they ask you to follow their finger with your eyes. The officer is looking for a unique jerking in your eyes that indicates you have had too much to drink. While you might be able to practice for other field sobriety tests, you cannot practice your way to a passing horizontal gaze nystagmus test or the other tests that are likely to follow.
