Can't Pass the Field Sobriety Test

[quincy]

I have to say that it is a bit unusual for an officer to want to do a sobriety field test when a driver is only pulled over for a broken taillight.

 

[Zigner]

I have to say that it is a bit unusual for an officer to want to do a sobriety field test when a driver is only pulled over for a broken taillight.

Driver was pulled over for the light. Driver was asked to do a FST due to other indicators that the officer (correctly) perceived. The OP was just barely under the per se limit.

 

[quincy]

Driver was pulled over for the light. Driver was asked to do a FST due to other indicators that the officer (correctly) perceived. The OP was just barely under the per se limit.

I understand. I was just curious what the “other indicators” were that led to a request for the FST.

 

[Zigner]

I understand. I was just curious what the “other indicators” were that led to a request for the FST.

I'd guess that odor was a big indicator, coupled with the OP's admission that she had been drinking.

 

[quincy]

I'd guess that odor was a big indicator, coupled with the OP's admission that she had been drinking.

Admitting to drinking could certainly lead to a sobriety field test.

 

[GuyInNC]

I am an ex-runner who stopped running due to persistent ankle sprains. One thing that I learned from my doctor is that all those ankle sprains over the years had severely degraded my neural based ability to sense when I am 'going over' on an ankle. So not only is the ankle weak it is inherently unstable. And my ability to stand on one leg (sober or not) is pitiful.

So I view my best defense in a field sobriety situation is a breathalyzer reading of 0.0 . Unfortunately it took a DUI in my case to make that stick in my mind, but I certainly have no further concerns with FST's.

BTW, it was those ankle sprains that turned me into a cyclist. Not even on my worst day can I sprain an ankle when I am literally physically attached to solid pedals with clips

 

[quincy]

A breathalyzer of 0.0 is always good.

I bet you are happy to be cycling past gas stations right now.

 

[LdiJ]

I have to say that it is a bit unusual for an officer to want to do a sobriety field test when a driver is only pulled over for a broken taillight.

Could have been a slow shift. The officer could have been under quota. The officer could have been in a bad mood. Police officers are human beings too and sometimes do things for the wrong reasons.

 

[GuyInNC]

A breathalyzer of 0.0 is always good.

I bet you are happy to be cycling past gas stations right now.

Put more annual miles on my bike than my car the past several years

 

[stealth2]

Well done, @GuyInNC ... My oldest started cycling quite a few years back for exercise and hasn't looked back. Now works as a bike mechanic outside of Philly.

 

[quincy]

Put more annual miles on my bike than my car the past several years

I have too long of a commute to make cycling (or walking) a realistic option for me, unfortunately. When I lived in Philadelphia, however, owning a car was more trouble than it was worth (horrific parking) and I was able to walk or take public transportation wherever I needed to go. Although I love to drive, I really miss Philly.

 

[HighwayMan]

Stop being so hung up on the field sobriety tests - they are not necessary to establish probable cause for arrest, although they can help establish probable cause.

I have gotten convictions for DWI in New York of individuals who tested less than a .08 BAC - that is simply a per se limit. You can certainly be considered intoxicated with a .07 BAC or less.

You're lucky you got away with it this time.