Should You Take Field Sobriety Tests?

No one wants to get a DUI. More importantly no one wants to get a DUI when they were driving down the street in a perfectly normal manner, save not using a turn signal to change lanes or going 2-3 miles over the speed limit. If you want to avoid a DUI charge, or at least give yourself the biggest leg up on beating one, you need to read this article.

Before I get too far, no, I am not condoning drunk driving. But as a proud member of the Seattle DUI attorneys club, I think it’s important for people to know their rights, to not just give the prosecutor a slam dunk case on a silver platter, and to do whatever they can to save their butts. That’s my job, and I’m proud to do it. And you’ll be thanking me if you ever find yourself in a spot of trouble.

With that being said, let’s get going. Should you take field sobriety tests? What do you think the answer is? I know the answer, and it’s you should never take field sobriety tests. Why not? There are several reasons.

The first reason is this – they are incredibly hard to pass. See, the thing about field sobriety tests is that you don’t know what the cops are looking for. On the walk and turn, for example, here are a couple of things: (1) heel to toe within 2 inches; arms not raised two inches; if you negotiate the turn exactly as they say; if you start with the foot they tell you; if you count to nine out loud. Sound like a lot to remember? It is. And try doing it with a cop breathing down your neck.

Here’s the second reason – they don’t help you out. No matter what happens, it’s likely your field sobriety test results are going to be used against you. They absolutely cannot help you. Ask any Seattle DUI attorney and they’ll tell you they never help. The results are always used to hurt you.

In the end, the best course of action is to refuse to do field sobriety tests. It is your right (read refusing can’t be used against you) to do so. The cops might be mad when you say no, but it’s only because they know you are making their job harder. When in doubt, just say no and call a DUI lawyer as soon as you can.