Before requesting a field sobriety test, the police officer most likely already made his judgment and decision of arrest. There are several common test the officer may choose from:
- Finger-to-nose
- Horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN)
- Heel-to-toe walk
- Reciting of the alphabet
- Hand pat
- Fingers-to-thumb
- One-leg-stand
- Modified position of attention (the Rhomberg test)
If the suspect fails the field test, it is only validation for the officer to arrest you and also serves as additional evidence. Refusing to take the FST test on the other hand should not have any legal penalties.
After a study was conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are only three reliable tests in determining if the driver is intoxicated.
- Heel-to-toe
- One-leg-stand
- The horizontal gaze nystagmus test.
The study also concluded that the other FSTs are unreliable and should be discourage from being used.