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A
description of Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
posted by Florida DUI Lawyer.*
Parks
& Braxton, your best resource for a Florida
DUI Lawyer, wants you to be well informed.
Here is a basic description of the Walk
and Turn test:
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A second scoring factor is known as starting
too soon. This is given when the starts to walk
before the officer instructs them to do so.
This can only be scored if the officer specifically
instructed the suspect not to start until told
to begin and the suspect stated they understood
this instruction.
- The
second stage of this test is known as the Walking
Stage. The suspect is informed again that when
he is told to start, they must take nine heel
to toe steps down the line, turn around, and
take nine heel to toe steps back. The officer
must demonstrate two or three heel to toe steps
for the suspect. The officer then informs the
suspect and demonstrates how and when the turn
is to be executed. They are shown to keep the
foot on the line, and turn by taking a series
of small steps. If the officer demonstrates
or instructs with the incorrect foot the suspects
turn may be affected and incorrectly scored.
This is also known as "wrong footing".
The officer informs the suspect to keep their
arms at their sides while walking, watch their
feet at all times, and to count their steps
out loud. They must be advised not to stop once
they start walking and not until they complete
the test. If the officer does not receive an
affirmative response of understanding the test
may not be scored fairly and properly, thereby
invalidating the results.
- The
maximum score obtained on this test is eight.
There are six scoring factors that can be observed
in the walking stage. The first one is stopping
while walking to steady themselves. The officer
can not score this item if the suspect is merely
walking too slow. The suspect must pause for
several seconds after one step. If this occurs,
the officer is trained to have the suspect begin
from the point of difficulty instead of starting
over. This test loses sensitivity if repeated
several times. The next scoring factor is not
touching heel to toe. The suspect must leave
a one half inch or more space between the heel
and toe on any step. This is only scored once
no matter how many times it appears. The feet
do not have to actually touch on these steps.
This
material is for informational purposes only. If
you want to know how the SFST tests affect you,
please contact Florida DUI
Lawyers, Parks &
Braxton
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