Quick answer: Field sobriety tests are the three standardized roadside exercises — horizontal gaze nystagmus (eye test), walk-and-turn, and one-leg stand — that officers use to build probable cause for a DWI arrest. They’re voluntary in Texas, subjectively graded, and frequently failed by sober people.
This video explains what each standardized field sobriety test involves, what officers claim it shows, and the validation research behind them — including their real-world error rates.
Nerves, fatigue, age, weight, medical conditions, footwear, and roadside conditions all sabotage performance. The video covers how officers score “clues,” why the grading is subjective, and how a defense lawyer uses the officer’s own training manual to take these tests apart in court.
Related reading: What are Field Sobriety Tests? Video
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