What are Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs)?
Law enforcement personnel use a variety of tests that are supposed help them determine if someone is intoxicated or impaired by alcohol or drugs. Most commonly used are three tests that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has approved as having a scientific basis. These are the horizontal gaze nystagamus(HGN), heel-to-toe walk and turn and the one leg stand test. The HGN test is designed to test how smoothly a suspect’s eyes can track from left to right and back again. The other two tests provide some information as to the ability of a suspect to perform activities which require divided attention and also provide information on the the motor coordination of a defendant. Different police agencies or officers may also use the alphabet test.
