Are Standardized Field Sobriety Tests Reliable?

It is unlawful for a person to drive a motor vehicle within the State of South Carolina while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, a combination of alcohol and drugs, or substances that cause impairment to the extent that the person's faculties to drive a motor vehicle are materially and appreciably impaired. A conviction for driving under the influence includes penalties from the State of South Carolina, The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV), and can have a negative impact on professional and educational opportunities long after sentencing and DMV penalties have expired. Now more than ever it is important to view legal advice coming from non-lawyers on the internet or social media with skepticism. Unreliable legal advice from non-lawyers can have a negative impact on a DUI case from both a procedural and substantive standpoint. 

It is not uncommon for a motorist whose faculties are not materially and appreciably impaired to exhibit the same clues police use to identify impaired drivers. The physiological response to being pulled over by police often activates the sympathetic nervous system triggering acute stress responses that mimic signs of impairment. The experiments used in the development of standardized field sobriety tests were performed in a lab omitting the fear of life-altering penalties as a consequence of failure. If driving privileges are suspended for refusing to submit a breath, blood, or urine sample for chemical testing or for registering an alcohol concentration of .15 or higher there are important filing deadlines that if missed will disqualify eligibility for the temporary restoration of driving privileges pending the result of a contested case hearing in the South Carolina Administrative Law Court. To learn more about the flawed science behind standardized field sobriety tests call Anderson DUI Attorney Travis Newton for a free consultation.