Are you a North Carolina resident that officers pulled over for sobriety testing? If so, you may run into a field sobriety test. This is often the first test officers give when checking a driver’s sobriety level. Today we will look at two different types of field sobriety tests: standardized and non-standardized.
FieldSobrietyTests.org look at both standardized and non-standardized field sobriety tests. The main difference between the two is that standardized tests follow a set rubric. Officers across the country use this rubric. It allows officers to compare test results to one uniform standard. In turn, this often allows for more accurate and fair results.
There are only three types of standardized field sobriety tests. This includes the walk-and-turn, the one-leg stand and the horizontal gaze nystagmus. It is less trouble for officers to memorize three tests. If they are giving you a field sobriety test, chances are high that it is one of these three.
Non-standardized tests do not have this rubric. It is up to the officer giving the test to determine if a person passes or fails. This means that there is more room for bias to affect an officer’s decision. There are more non-standardized tests than standardized tests. Despite this, officers do not use them as often. This is because courts view non-standardized test results as more subjective.
Field sobriety tests are ultimately used as supplementary evidence rather than primary evidence. This is true regardless of what type of test the officers had you take. This is important to know when facing field sobriety test results.
