If you have been arrested for and charged with a driving under the influence offense in Nebraska, you were likely required to take a series of field sobriety tests before you were placed under arrest. As explained by FieldSobrietyTests.org, these tests are not intended to prove that you were drunk but rather to show that you might be drunk. It is the law enforcement officer’s way of providing probable cause for arresting you.
Field sobriety tests cannot prove intoxication as they are not completely objective or based on fact but rather on some level of subjective observation by officers. This is in contrast to a blood or breath test, for example. The walk and turn test requires you to take steps following a heel-to-toe formation without losing balance or stepping off a real or imaginary line. You must take only nine steps forward and then back again after turning around.
With an accuracy rate of only 66%, this test can be a problem for you if you have certain health conditions. Even the simple fact of being overweight can impede your ability to balance properly. If you have anxiety, you may become so nervous that you fail the test. Joint or back problems can also make it hard for you to walk in the manner required to pass this test.
If you would like to learn more about the tests used to collect evidence against you in a drunk driving case and how you might defend yourself against these charges, please feel free to visit the DUI defendant’s rights page of our Nebraska criminal defense website.