What is a standardized field sobriety test?
A standardized field sobriety test, SFST, is a police tool to help the officer try to identify an intoxicated driver. There are three SFSTs and they are:
1) the horizontal gaze nystagmous (HGN) test;
2) the one-leg stand test; and,
3) the walk and turn test.
These three tests were developed by researchers funded by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a failure of any of the tests, according to the researchers, means the person has an alcohol CONCENTRATION of greater than .08. Of import is the fact that there is a great on-going debate about the validity, accuracy, and reliability of both the researchers' conclusions and their tests. There is no implied consent requirement that a person submit to a law enforcement officer's request to take these SFSTs or any other police motor skill coordination exercise.