CdwJava
Senior Member
This is the problem with using Wikipedia - it presents a skewed set of facts.Amen Willy!
According to original studies conducted by NHTSA, these tests are not designed to detect impairment, but rather give a probability that a driver is at or a above a 0.08% BAC. However, studies throw doubt on the tests' usefulness in helping an officer to judge either. In 1991, Dr. Spurgeon Cole of Clemson University conducted a study of the accuracy of FSTs. His staff videotaped people performing six common field sobriety tests, then showed the tapes to 14 police officers and asked them to decide whether the suspects had "had too much to drink and drive" (sic). The blood-alcohol concentration of each of the 21 DUI subjects was 0.00, unknown to the officers. The result: the officers gave their opinion that 46% of these innocent people were too drunk to be able to drive. This study showed the possible inaccuracy of FSTs.[21]
Drunk driving in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There were serious flaws within the Clemson study that I shall not go into here. There are also two validation studies that support the NHTSA SFSTs. And the SFSTs were, of course, designed to present a probability that a person might be impaired. That was the point. And since an arrest for probable cause does NOT require absolute certainty, the use of the SFSTs is perfectly valid. In fact, a conviction in court does not require absolute certainty, either!
Once again, the point here is that the process appears to have been adhered to thus far. Your son was arrested based upon probable cause. When the results of his tox screen come back, if they show all negative as you suspect, the DA will likely choose not to pursue the matter. if he does choose to pursue, it, he will have a difficult time making the case because of the built in reasonable doubt of the negative tests and no evidence of any other type of drugs use ... assuming he did not tell the police he had consumed some sort of medication or substance not on the screen.