Are Field Sobriety Tests Really Designed to Exonerate Drivers?
Any law enforcement officer or politician will tell you that field sobriety tests give drivers an opportunity to show that they are not impaired due to the consumption of alcohol. Many people view field sobriety testing as a means for drivers to prove their innocence if they have been accused of drunk driving. However, field sobriety testing is really used as a means of gathering evidence on the part of law enforcement officers. Think about what happens at a DUI traffic stop – if a law enforcement officer believes you are impaired, he has already made up his mind about your innocence and will use field sobriety testing to try to gather evidence to support their assessment of your condition. If a law enforcement officer asks you to submit to sobriety testing, he or she is going to see what is suspected. If you stumble or trip, the officer is going to use it as evidence to back up the fact that he thinks you’re guilty of driving under the influence. Another point to consider is that even
