Understanding the Standard Field Sobriety Test

Following the legalization of cannabis in Canada on October 17th, you may have heard the term "SFST" when it comes to cannabis impaired driving. This video is intended to help you understand the Standard Field Sobriety Test, used to assess a person's level of impairment. Delta Police Constable Grayson Smith, a trained Drug Recognition Expert (DRE), breaks down the test.

[@timothywilliams1359]

There is a LOT of false information presented here. I spent eleven years as a military police officer, and I can tell you that the walk and turn test is designed to produce failure. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that when a random test group of completely sober people are administered this test, about 45% of them will fail it. There are all sorts of reasons why such a large percentage of people are unable to walk heel to toe in a straight line, including body type and weight, age, previous surgeries, vertigo, or other medical condition. (I am a non-drinker in excellent physical condition, but I cannot pass this test myself because of prior broken bones and surgeries in both feet.) The one-leg stand test gives very similar result and for the same reasons. The horizontal gaze Nystagmus (HGN) is somewhat more reliable, but again, far from conclusive. There are many eye conditions that have nothing to do with narcotics that can cause failure of this test.

[@bigmon1826]

What did he say that was wrong? You only said why people might fail even if they are sober.

[@spliffdelakong5422]

@@bigmon1826 this officer is trained to take and pass the test. $1000 challenge. Get pulled over and before the cop comes to your door poor a little bit of your choice of alcohol on your driver side door. DO NOT explain why your vehicle smells like alcohol and SUBMIT to the roadside test. Film it all with no cuts and if you pass I'll send you $1000. EDIT: You and I gotta figure out the details a bit more beforehand though. You can't be going to any police friends and telling them the deal. Bet?

[@robezoner]

Its a good thing other things are taken into account such as: the presence of alcohol in plain view, the odor of an alcoholic beverage, glassy eyes, slurred speech, staggered walking and difficulty keeping balance, admission of alcohol consumption and/or intoxication, driving behavior observed, the fact that an accident occurred as a result of possible intox. Attacking the SFST as if it’s the only metric used to assess someone’s level of intox is just wrong. There are other factors considered and the SFST is just one more tool to rule out possible intox.

[@spliffdelakong5422]

@@robezoner not coming at you in any kinda way or everything, just replying politely Ever other "reason" you gave for failing a field sobriety is completely subjective other than an admitting. Was gonna say accident, too but after an accident could go either way for me. Every trigger(?) other than the having alcohol in plain sight and the admitting is my every day's first couple hours. Got pulled over years after I quit smoking weed shortly after waking up too early for my life for... I really don't remember what, speeding maybe? Who cares? Doesn't matter why. Anyway. Officer does normal Officer routine, I do normal citizen routine. Not as polite or respectively but not disrespecting him in any way other than giving him short answers. Remember. I had quit smoking weed a few years earlier after I quit I didn't let my friends smoke weed in my car. I'm guessing this asshole was takin my terrible mornings as disrespect but, on my life, I just wanted to get this shit over with. He said something about a strong odor of marijuana and asked if he could search my car. I am horrible at waking up. Those first couple hours are the worst for me and I've been working on it for years... but not back then. Dick was straight up lying and I believe just tryin to inconvenience me because he believed I was purposefully being an asshole. I said no, he called in another fella with a dog, APPARENTLY the dog fuckin signaled (still this that was a lie, too but I'm not a cop dog trainer so I dunno.) They searched my car and found??? Fuckin nothing. Always look for that silver lining though. I got outta the meeting I was on my way to and I hate meetings.

[@magalilechenne9232]

That's not accurate, we're not required to take the test, it's voluntary. Sober people might not be able to even complete some of these tests

[@spliffdelakong5422]

Looks pretty easy when you know exactly what you're supposed to be doing. An officer isn't going to ask you to perform these "tests" if they aren't already convinced you're under the influence. Biased? You WILL fail one or all of these tests in a stressful situation most likely at night with flashing lights and already being nervous. It's not everyday you get pulled out of your car under suspicion of DUI just because an officer "smells" something. So knowing you're about to get arrested because the officer has "probable cause" because he "smells" whatever is sure to calm you down and you'll be fine. Then they'll definitely not search your vehicle because you totally (not) pass that test. Then you'll definitely get let go with a "I apologize for taking up your time good citizen. Have a wonderful evening." Or you'll spend time in county until you get bailed out. Not trying to talk any kinda shit, just pointing out the flaws in these tests. Spent a weekend in jail before I got bailed out. Totally sober but "failed" the roadside test.

[@augistry5439]

and you didnt file a civil suit? all these so called wrongfully imprisoned individuals all have one thing in common they never ever file civil suits, wonder why

[@spliffdelakong5422]

Lawsuits cost money. At the time I didn't have money and even if I did it wouldn't have been worth the gamble. Let's play a game. You be my lawyer in this civil suit. How/what are you gonna win counselor?

[@spliffdelakong5422]

@@augistry5439 poppaaaaa... what's up? How you gonna help?

[@sharatainx3990]

Well, you have both the option of providing breat samples or blood sample at the police station... Then they will release you unless you manged to behave like a total ass and they put you in for something else. There is no need for them to hold you in a cell and continue the processing of you if you are sober and haven't done anything else. You also don't get held in a cell with bail for an entire weekend if you were sober. If you're sober you have no reason to go to court (and they have no evidence) and thus won't be held on bail. Finding it really hard to believe that you will be sentenced for anything with those tests being negative. And if you are it's definitely worth suing them. You also don't always have to be bailed out (bail is mostly used for people with prior criminal records or if you're an absolute asshole towards the police I guess). Most of the time they release you on your own recognizance (you promise to show up in court). If you show up in court you will get your bail money back anyway so what's the big deal? Telling me you showed nothing but nice behaviour towards the police the hole time and this happened to you? Just a corrupt police that you totally didn't care to sue and try get off the streets? What you are describing is not flawed field test. Any average lawyer would have been able to get you through suing them if you were actually sober and held on bail. You're saying you're not trying to talk any kinda shit but your story kind of stinks.

[@777Skeptic]

I "failed" a FST, and the officer wasn't happy when I blew double 00's. He wrote me a ticket for a broken headlight so he'd get something out of it. Once an officer assumes you're guilty, no evidence to the contrary will convince him he's wrong, e$pecially if he ha$ a quota to meet. He'll ruin your life for a paycheck and not lo$e any $leep over it. Cops also wonder why people hate them.

[@Frip36]

this guy's talkin alot but he ain't tellin us nothin

[@devinleopold7219]

He explained it, what u mean

[@veritorossi]

I don't think these tests are very fair. I can't stand still on my leg very well with or without alcohol and just trying to explain why can be seen as an excuse. It's also very invasive.

[@allstar15jm15]

"Officers are looking for 3 things when taking a Horizontal Gase Nystagmus test." then never tell me. thats literally all i wanna know

[@evilflowx]

if you knew, then you'd pass the tests every time bruh! he's literally f'ing with us. ugh why are cops this way even in instructional videos.

[@demzo662]

Have you tried googleing horitzontal gaze nystagmus? I mean, I haven't, for now, but seems like learning what that means could help you sort out the key factors of the test, isn't it?

[@VileStorms]

@@evilflowx No you wouldn't the Horizontal Gaze Test is testing for involuntary eye movements, such as: Twitching, overly dilated or under dilated pupils, snd finally best way I can explain it is jumpy or lagged movements.

[@MrRadier2010]

@@evilflowx its impossible to cheat the test for HGN. Its a chemical reaction that a person has no control over. So, I can tell you what i'm looking for but there is no way you can cheat it.

[@frankmontez6853]

YEAH DON"T answer any questions . LAWYER up REFUSE ANY tests either BAC OR field sobriety tests . They're only trying to convict you NOT help you .

[@cooperbaird1192]

It depends on the officer honestly. I blew a .055 after a not so successful field sobriety test (walking the line was the hardest surprisingly). He let me pull my car over off the road, made me set a timer for 1.5 hours and said when that timer goes off you can continue on ur way. I was fucking shocked at how cool he was.

[@augistry5439]

yeah totally because cops want to do paperwork, and go sit in court for 8 hours when they have loads better shit to do, cops have nothing to do with convicting they dont get shit out of it theyre just enforcing the laws of the land

[@turbolegend3976]

If you’re drunk REFUSE testing, if you haven’t even had a sip then TEST.

[@paulhart3812]

What if someone has balance issues… as a large portion of the population has? So if they fail the field sobriety test, but the breathalyzer and blood tests show ZERO alcohol consumption… what happens?

[@jacksonfolly]

If the person blows 0, within 1-3 hours of the arrest, they check for a faulty breathalyser and try again. If they blow 0 again, and advanced drug testing comes out negative, then the observations of the Field Sobriety Test are voided and the -person can no longer be detained and is let go from the police station. It is better to take extra preventative measures than lose lives to people who make poor decisions.

[@xeriscapeguy]

Data from NHTSA (developer of this BS) demonstrate anywhere from 60-75% accuracy. Plus the test are 100% subjective in terms of observations and embellished reports that are contrary to the actual report. Why incriminate yourself?

[@evilflowx]

i think i'm impaired at the moment because i can hear audio only through my left ear

[@Ellerenh]

Do American police not have a breathalyser in their car? What a waste of time doing all that when they can quickly do a breathalyser test there and then I really don’t see the point

[@cvps1980]

And another thing these tests should not be performed outside when it's windy below zero and you have no hat on no gloves on and you're being asked to do all these tests that is absolutely ridiculous

[@augistry5439]

why the fuck are you not bringing those things with you when its come windy and below zero are you stupid? sorry guys cant catch drunk drivers its too cold outside god speed everyone

[@edwinmcdonald7285]

Do not take!!! Field sobriety tests (FSTs) are voluntary in all US jurisdictions. Drivers can refuse to take an FST without penalty if they are pulled over and the police have probable cause to suspect they are driving under the influence (DUI). However, police officers may try to convince drivers to take the test, and they may not inform drivers of their right to refuse

[@panamacity2532]

Yo siempre He Manejado Borracho . y Siempre llego Bien a casa porque mi Burrito ya conoce el camino a casita aqui en mi Finca . Saludos desde Panama ..

[@AgniFirePunch]

Des pa cito

[@surpriseimblack]

There's a lot of flaws in the test sequence. I'll tell you that much..

[@1angrykoala]

This test, and most like it are specifically designed (as he mentions) to identify impairment, not sobriety. You have nothing to gain by submitting to one. Do not do it.

[@AppalachiaThunder]

This bot just called people "Road Users." 3:26

[@demzo662]

I'm from Spain and I'm trying to document myself about this because it's like a funny procedure seen for us people in Europe. We don't have any kind of SFSTs here and they carry mobile breathing machines in their cars for analyse people's breath whenever they want to instead. If for any reason they don't have one, they can just call to ask for someone to bring one. Of course, there have to be reasons for demanding you to take the test, but if you hit a road control, it's a test for every car they want to pull over, even if it's a father driving to work at 7am mixed with people coming back from partying. They ask you if you want to take the test but we do all know you can't say no and if that was not enough, which I don't complain, the worst thing is cannabis. You can mark as positive even after three to ten days and they fine you with saying that it is enough with you having remnants of cannabis in your system to get fined for it. That's actually super abusive. Other than that, we all know they run a business with this because it's all delivering quick fines with facilities and discounts to pay within the first two weeks and unless someone really trespasses a serious alcohol limit on blood nobody is considered they did any felony nor they wouldn't make any detention for it. They wouldn't let you continue driving if you got a fine.

[@VileStorms]

All police officers have breathalyzers in both the U.S and Candada. We use the SFSTs to test for drugs for the most part, I've heard that you use swaps in Europe. zHowever that would not test for injected drugs, which are a very common way people take drugs(at least here in north america) like Meth, Heroine and crack cocaine..

[@sharatainx3990]

@@VileStorms or just for people being extremly tired. Being extremly tired while driving is the same as driving under influence of drugs/alcohol.

[@VileStorms]

@@sharatainx3990 yup

[@eastside0434]

Is the officer required to explain and demonstrate what he wants the person to do,can the officer yell and scream and act upset at the suspect while he is performing the tests.? Or does the officer have to follow NHTSA testing standards.

[@MrRadier2010]

As an officer for now 6 years. Who is SFTS certified/ DRE certified/who does mostly traffic enforcement. To answer your question is yes. The officer will tell you what each test will comprised of. They wont be able to demonstrate the first test HGN but the other two test yes.

[@IsomerMashups]

I've never been drunk in my life, but I can't do a walk and turn because I'm bowlegged.

[@infotrad]

These cops are just bullies. I could not pass these tests and I do not drink or take drugs. I have balance issues.

[@nxtkoston]

And that gets taken into account

[@digitalwasabi2]

Same here. And I strongly suspect the tests are designed so you will fail.

[@digitalwasabi2]

@@nxtkoston No it’s not.

[@augistry5439]

@@digitalwasabi2 yes it is lol its not about just failing its about how you fail and perform the tests

[@kevinschultz2243]

You are NOT required to do the sobriety tests.!

[@Frip36]

tips & tricks?

[@xgwapx4310]

He stuttered. He’s on drugs

[@cvps1980]

Such bullshit. So it is coming practice for an officer to ride someone's tail end with their light bright LEDs for long periods of time before they make a rest That's not very safe You're blinding the drivers trying to drive

[@user-jk4zr6ii1g]

🧢🧢🧢

[@CyanideSprinkles]

mono audio LUL

[@matthewking3935]

I somehow passed this test last night not gonna lie I had been drinking definitely probably couldn’t pass a breathalyzer but cop said I passed 😊