What Happens During "The Investigation"?

Typically, a driver who is suspected of being impaired is required to take "roadside sobriety tests," sometimes called "field sobriety tests." These may include balance tests (such as bending over or balancing on one foot, often with your eyes closed), reciting the alphabet, counting tests (usually involving counting backwards), and coordination tests (such as walking a straight line, or touching your ring finger to your thumb). Usually, three or four roadside sobriety tests are administered. Please note that if you have any medical conditions that will interfere with your ability to perform roadside sobriety tests, you should tell the officer about those conditions before he administers the tests. Often, drivers dispute the officer's conclusion that they "failed" some or all of these roadside tests. However, by the time the officer is administering these tests, he has usually already concluded that you are impaired, and is looking for any possible reason to fail you. If the officer concludes that there is reason to believe that you are intoxicated, based upon your performance, some states then allow him to administer a "preliminary breath test" (PBT), sometimes called a "preliminary alcohol screening test" (PAS), using a portable breathalyzer machine. Subsequent to the roadside testing, if the officer believes you to be impaired, he will typically transport you to the police station where you will ordinarily be given a breath test on a standard "breathalyzer" or "datamaster" machine.