Comprehensive Guide to Law Enforcement Impaired Driver Spotting and Field Sobriety Testing

Initial Indicators of Driving Impairment

  • Observations made by law enforcement officers to spot impaired drivers on the road include:
    • Weaving within the lane: Intoxicated drivers sway back and forth inside their designated lane, rather than drifting from lane to lane.
    • Driving excessively slow: Impaired drivers travel significantly below the speed limit due to fear of crashing while under the influence.
    • Stopping too far from stop signs: Drivers misjudge stopping distances and halt their vehicles an unnatural distance prior to reaching a stop sign.
    • Driving with windows down in cold weather: Impaired drivers lower their car windows on cold nights because alcohol consumption elevates their body temperature and makes them feel hot.
    • Vomiting outside the vehicle: Drivers or occupants physically vomiting out of the car window or door.

In-Vehicle Driver Assessment and Observations

  • Initial officer interaction upon pulling over a suspected driver:
    • The officer approaches the vehicle after the driver rolls down the window and asks casual questions, such as, "How are you doing tonight?"
    • The underlying purpose of these preliminary questions is to evaluate the driver's physical, visual, and auditory condition.
  • Physical and behavioral signs checked through the window:
    • Eye condition: Officers examine the driver's eyes to determine if pupils are pinpointed or dilated, as well as checking if the eyes appear watery or glazed.
    • Speech patterns: Officers listen for speech repetition, noting if the driver frequently repeats phrases (e.g., saying something and following up with, "Did I say that already? Sorry.").
    • Odor: Officers smell the driver to detect alcohol, particularly when assessing older drivers.

Standard Field Sobriety Tests and Cognitive Challenges

  • Transition to physical testing:
    • Officers ask the driver to step out of the car to perform simple field sobriety tests, which become exceedingly difficult if the driver is intoxicated.
  • Reciting the Alphabet Forward:
    • Drivers are instructed to recite the alphabet forward.
    • Rule: Drivers are explicitly prohibited from singing the alphabet.
    • Behavioral hurdle: People are brainwashed throughout their lives to sing the ABCs, making spoken recitation without a melody difficult when impaired.
    • Typical reaction when told to stop singing:
    • Driver begins: "A, B, C, D."
    • Officer instructs: "Stop singing."
    • Driver restarts identically: "A, B, C, D."
    • The section of the alphabet that presents the greatest challenge during this test is the "l m n o b" portion.
  • Backwards Counting Task:
    • Drivers are instructed to count backwards from 80 through 60.
    • Impaired drivers consistently get stuck on a single number during the sequence.
    • Detailed breakdown of a driver getting stuck:
    • Sequence progression: "76, 75, 75, 75. Hold on. Hold on. I got 75, 75."
    • Extended effect: An hour later, while sitting in the back of the police car, the driver is still repeating, "75, 75."

Directional Motor Skills and Walking Tests

  • Walk-in-a-Straight-Line Test:
    • A standard field test commonly depicted on television where the driver is required to walk along a straight line.
    • Officers increase complexity by adding specific step counts and directional changes designed to confuse impaired drivers.
    • Example prompt given by an officer: Walk 10 steps forward and 5 steps to the left.
    • Impaired driver execution errors:
    • Walking 5 steps forward and 3 steps to the right.
    • Walking 6 steps forward and 4 steps to the left.
    • Extreme impairment behavior: Walking 10 steps forward and immediately breaking into a run.

Trick Questions and Officer Interaction Strategies

  • Purpose of trick questions:
    • Officers use trick questions to test if a driver is intoxicated enough to attempt a task that sober individuals cannot normally perform.
  • The Backwards Alphabet Trick Question:
    • The most common trick question officers ask drivers is to recite the alphabet backwards.
    • Officers are aware that sober individuals cannot normally recite the alphabet backwards without preparation.
    • Intoxicated or complicated individuals will attempt to perform it anyway.
  • Proper response to the backwards alphabet prompt:
    • The appropriate response when asked to recite the alphabet backwards is to state: "Officer, I cannot do this, and I'm sober."
  • Case study / Anecdote of Uncle Boudreaux:
    • Uncle Boudreaux responded to an officer's request to recite the alphabet backwards by stating: "Officer, I can't do this even when I'm sober."
    • Following his statement, Uncle Boudreaux attempted the task by reciting forward: "Alright. A, b, c, d."
    • Outcome: Uncle Boudreaux was arrested and put in jail.