MA Police Training Manual - OUI Stop Field Sobriety Tests
• short-term memory;
• judgment and decision making;
• balance;
• steady, sure reactions;
• clear vision;
• small muscle control;
• coordination of limbs.
Any test that requires a person to demonstrate
two or more of these capabilities simultaneously is potentially a good
psychophysical test.
Simplicity is the key to divided attention field
sobriety testing. It is not enough to select a test that just divides the
subject’s attention. The test also must be one that is reasonably simple for
the average person to perform when sober. Tests that are difficult for a sober
subject to perform have little or no evidentiary value.
Two divided attention field sobriety tests that
have proven accurate and effective in DWI detection are the Walk-and-Turn and
the One-Leg Stand. These tests are described briefly below.
Walk-and-Turn
Walk-and-Turn is a test that has been validated
through extensive research sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA). It is a divided attention test consisting of two stages:
• Instructions Stage; and,
• Walking Stage.
In the Instructions Stage, the subject
must stand with their feet in heel-to-toe position, keep their arms at their
sides, and listen to the instructions. The Instructions Stage divides the
subject’s attention between a balancing task (standing while maintaining the
heel-to-toe position) and an information processing task (listening to and
remembering instructions).
In the Walking Stage the subject takes
nine heel-to-toe steps, turn in a prescribed manner, and take nine heel-to-toe
steps back, while counting the steps out loud, while watching their feet. During
the turn, the subject keeps their front foot on
Previous |
Next
---
Call Russell Matson's cell phone to talk to a drunk driving / DUI / OUI attorney anytime at (781)380-7730.
|
