st louis dWI lawyer | Missouri DWI attorney

field sobriety tests

An experienced St. Louis DWI lawyer will try to have the results of field sobriety tests suppressed in court for a number of reasons. Many police officers are not properly trained to administer and/or properly evaluate the results of a field sobriety test. These tests are largely subjective and are often conducted in non-ideal conditions. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED BY LAW TO SUBMIT TO A FIELD SOBRIETY TEST.

Field sobriety tests are comprised of physical and mental tasks used to determine if the driver is impaired. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recommended specific instructions on which field sobriety tests should be conducted and how a police officer should conduct the tests. The NHTSA has stated that "If any one of the standardized field sobriety test elements is changed, the validity is compromised."

The NHTSA recommends the following standardized field sobriety tests:

• The Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) Test
• The Walk-and-Turn (WAT) Test
• The One-Leg-Stand Test

In addition to these tests, many police officers will ask a driver suspected of drunk driving to recite the alphabet without singing and/or to count backwards from 100 to a specific number. These tests are not endorsed by the NHTSA as part of a standardized field sobriety test battery.

Field sobriety tests are just one element of the evidence collected in a DWI case. Other evidence may include: police officer observations, defendant statements, preliminary/portable breath test (PBT) and BAC test results (breathalyzer or blood test).

Contact us online or call 314.621.0622 (877.621.0622 Toll Free) for a FREE consultation and learn how the law applies to your specific situation. As former police officers and a former prosecuting attorney, we know potential pitfalls in the investigative process. As criminal defense attorneys, we know how to afford you protection under the law. Our education and experience mak a difference.

The Missouri Criminal Defense Attorneys of Millikan Wright LLC focus serving the needs of the greater St. Louis Metropolitan area. On the Missouri side, our criminal lawyers defend people in St. Louis city, St. Louis county, Jefferson county, Franklin county, St. Charles county, and Lincoln county. On the Illinois side, our attorneys represent people hurt in Madison county, St. Clair county and Monroe county.