Yorba Linda Lawyer Helping Challenge Sobriety Tests
Because most drivers stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) agree to field sobriety testing, many people do not realize the inaccurate and subjective nature of the results and how they could be manipulated to secure a drunk driving conviction. The Anaheim, California, criminal defense law firm of Mitchell A. Shapiro, Inc., understands the various testing methods used to determine blood alcohol content (BAC), knows the laws and can help protect your rights when you are arrested for DUI/DWI.
Contact a DUI defense attorney at our firm today to discuss the details of your drunk driving arrest. By calling for our help when you are stopped or immediately following your arrest, we can go to work challenging breathalyzer and other sobriety tests including:
- Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) Test — also referred to as the “pen test” or “finger test,” an officer holds something close to your face and moves it from side to side, having you follow it with your eyes without moving your head to detect jerking eye movements that may indicate intoxication.
- One-Legged Stand Test — you are instructed to stand on one foot and hold the other foot off the ground for a set period of time. Using your arms for balance, swaying or putting your foot down may be evidence of intoxication.
- Walk and Turn Test — used to determine your inability to follow directions and perform movements, this test requires you to walk heel to toe along a straight line for a certain number of steps, turn and walk back the same way.
- Breathalyzer Test — this test has you blow into a device used to measure your blood alcohol content (BAC). Improper calibration, operator error, poor device maintenance, illnesses such as diabetes and other factors may produce inaccurate breathalyzer test results that can be challenged.
With the exception of a preliminary breath test at the time of your stop, DUI field sobriety tests are subjective, relying on the opinion of the officer performing them. These tests are notoriously inaccurate and are sometimes administered improperly. DUI tests are often used to support the officer’s probable cause for stopping you in the first place. It is important to know your rights in a DUI stop, including the right to refuse to take any sobriety tests. Our DUI defense attorney has the knowledge and experience to challenge the validity of sobriety tests and their results.
Contact Us for Effective DUI Defense Representation
Whether you submit or refuse a breathalyzer test or any other sobriety test, immediate help from an experienced California DUI/DWI defense lawyer can make a difference in your case. Contact a drunk driving defense attorney at Mitchell A. Shapiro, Inc. for a FREE initial consultation.
