Posted by duijim in on February 4, 2021
DUI Penalties
DUI Sobriety Test in Atlanta GA
If you find yourself in a situation where you are required to take the Sobriety Test, you should know which tests are standardized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The purpose of taking the specific Sobriety test is to find out how high is the percentage of alcohol in the driver’s blood system, and depending on that alcohol level, is the driver able to participate in traffic. Depending on the state where you find yourself being asked to take the test, the tests are different. In the Atlanta, Georgia area, there are 3 different Sobriety Tests and we will now explain each of them.
The first DUI Sobriety Test in Atlanta is the Sobriety test also known as the “eye test”. To be more precise, this specific Sobriety test is better known as the HGN TEST- horizontal gaze nystagmus test. While applying the eye test, the driver is observed by the officer. In short, this test has the purpose to discover the jerking movements of the driver’s eyeballs, also known as “nystagmus”. During this kind of test, the suspected driver is asked to look at a different stimulus while the police officer conducts a series of measurements. The lack of this eye test is in the fact that not every driver is a good candidate for taking it, because there is a big percentage of people who are dealing with occurring nystagmus, and that problem in many cases is not connected with drinking alcohol or taking some other substance.
The second DUI Sobriety Test in Atlanta is a standardized Sobriety test also known as the “walk and turn test”. To take this Sobriety test, the suspected driver has to take nine steps (heel to toe) along a straight line, a 180-degree turn, and nine steps back again. During observation of a driver taking this test, even a slight “mistake” such as starting walking before it was told to, or “not walking normally”, can cost the driver. The officer is making a decision based on the walk of the driver. If by any chance, the officer sees the driver not walking according to the instructions, there is a huge chance that the officer will conclude that the driver is intoxicated with alcohol. The only people who are excluded from taking this specific test are the over-weight people or the older ones because they already have difficulties with their walking. For all the others, this “walk and turn” Sobriety test is validated.
The third DUI Sobriety Test in Atlanta is the Sobriety test also known as the “one-leg stand test”.Taking this specific test means that the driver has to spend 30 seconds while standing on just one leg, and at the same time, with the arms by the sides. The ones who are excluded from taking this test are also the ones who are over-weight and the ones who are older. But, in practice, the police-officers very often apply this test to these people too.