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The one-leg stand field sobriety test

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Have you been arrested for and charged with a drunk driving offense in Virginia? If so, you may understandably be nervous and even scared about what might happen to you and what consequences you may face if you are convicted of this charge. However, before you get to that point, it is important for you to understand that there may be ways to defend yourself against this charge.

When you were arrested, you may have been asked to perform certain tasks. These are often called field sobriety tests. As explained by FieldSobrietyTests.org, these things can in no way prove to an officer that you are drunk. These tests can only give information that an officer can point to in order to say that you might be drunk. This then provides the officer with enough evidence to place you under arrest. None of these tests are 100-percent accurate and for the one-leg stand test, the accuracy rate is only 65 percent.

In this test, a person must balance perfectly on one leg while arms are kept to one’s side. They must also count out loud as instructed. Hip, knee, leg, ankle and foot problems or injuries alone may make this impossible for some people. Other neurological conditions might also impede one’s ability to balance.

If you would like to learn more about the different types of tests used in a drunk driving arrest and their potential problems, please feel free to visit the field sobriety test page of our Virginia criminal and drunk driving defense website.

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