Reader’s Question:

It seems like police officers in Santa Fe, New Mexico has run out of field sobriety test that even reciting the ABC is considered a test. Is failure on the ABC test regarded as a reliable indication that the driver was under the influence?

Caleb

Santa Fe, NM

Police officers in Santa Fe, New Mexico who are investigating a suspected DUI driver require the driver to complete field sobriety tests. One test that is being employed by the officers is the ABC test. They usually use the result of the tests to create probable cause for drunk driving arrest and gather evidence for a DUI case. In the ABC test, the officer would instruct the driver to recite the alphabet while standing with his/her feet together and arms down. Probably, officers would say that everyone knows the alphabet but truth is, it is easy to make a mistake for anyone who would be nervous or worried after being forced from a car along a busy street or highway.

The ABC test is not a reliable indicator of physical and mental impairment and it is not even recognized as a standardized field sobriety test by the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration (NHSTA). Because of that, the results of this test would carry out less weight in court than standardized field sobriety tests and an experienced DUI lawyer could demonstrate that the results could just as easily show that the driver was not impaired.

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