This post continues the Breath, Blood, and Bull series, an in-depth look at how science, procedure, and perception collide in the prosecution and defense of DWI cases in North Carolina. The first installment examined the limits of chemical testing. The second article turned to the machines that interpret alcohol breath…
When a law enforcement officer in North Carolina suspects impaired driving, they may conduct Standarized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) to gauge whether enough evidence exists for an arrest or further chemical testing. Roadside dexterity tests—commonly the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, the Walk-and-Turn test, and the One-Leg Stand test—remain a…
If you get pulled over for suspicion of DUI, law enforcement will likely administer a series of field sobriety tests to determine your level of impairment, if any. The most common sobriety tests police officers administer are divided into three categories: physical coordination tasks, mental acuity assessments, and eye examinations.…