Reader’s Question:

I was often told that if I will be stopped for DUI here in Springfield, Illinois, I should not take any field sobriety tests because it will not be against the law if I to refuse to take it. If that is the case, why do police officers still ask a person suspected for DUI to do it instead of asking to take chemical test?

Caiden

Springfield, IL

Field Sobriety Tests (FST’s) are psychophysical tests used to evaluate an individual’s physical and/or mental impairment. FST’s focus on the skills that are needed for safe driving. Most of the FST’s known to be more ‘reliable’ psychophysical tests are known as “divided attention” tasks. This kind of FST would require an individual to concentrate on more than one task at the same time. A driver needs to drive safely a car by simultaneously control steering, breaking, and acceleration; react to constantly changing driving environment; and perform many other tasks.

Alcohol affects an individual’s ability to adequately divide attention, thus causing drivers to concentrate on more difficult tasks while ignoring simpler ones. Even when impaired, most of us can successfully concentrate on a single task fairly well, but most drivers could not successfully divide their attention between multiple tasks at once. What you have been told is right that if you will be stopped for DUI suspicion in Springfield, Illinois, you don’t necessarily have to submit to FST’s. The sole reason why police officers ask someone to take these tests is to create a probable cause for a DUI arrest and also to gather evidence that can be used in a DUI court case trial.

Tags: DUI, DUI arrest, DUI lawyer, field sobriety tests