As opioid use in this country has reached epidemic status, the number of drivers on the road who are under the influence of these and/or other types of drugs has become an increasing concern for law enforcement and prosecutors here in Maryland and throughout the U.S....
Data shows field sobriety tests are less than 70 percent accurate
While it's understandable that a field sobriety test would be difficult for someone who is intoxicated to pass, it's just as easy for someone who has not even had a sip of alcohol to fail one as well. In case you're wondering why it's so easy to not pass it, it's...
The impact of drugs on field sobriety test performance
Police who suspect drivers of being under the influence generally ask them to perform multiple sobriety tests. With powerful painkillers and other prescription medications so easy to obtain, it's possible to "pass" a breathalyzer test with flying colors and badly fail...
Why is your horizontal gaze studied prior to a DUI arrest?
When police pull over a person for suspicion of drunk driving, they generally perform a series of field sobriety tests. One of these looks at horizontal gaze nystagmus. HGN is an involuntary eye motion that occurs when someone's eye looks to the side.If a person has...
How are field sobriety tests performed on boats?
Many Marylanders are taking their boats out now that the weather is turning warm. Despite boating under the influence laws, often these excursions include a few beers, wine coolers or other alcoholic beverages.Although BUI doesn't have the same stigma as drunk...
Drunk or just diabetic? Protect yourself from false allegations
There are a lot of complaints about problems with field sobriety tests -- but the one that often strikes a chord of fear in many people's hearts is that they'll fail a roadside sobriety test because they're sick, not drunk.Diabetes, which is known to exist in around...
Do you have to perform the Standardized Field Sobriety Test?
When law enforcement officers pull someone over for suspected drunk driving and put him or her through a battery of tests at the side of the road, they aren't just making up things to amuse themselves or embarrass the driver. There is a Standardized Field Sobriety...
Baltimore councilman’s traffic stop shows officers’ discretion
Not all Maryland DUI stops are alike. Officers have the discretion to determine whether a Breathalyzer or other field sobriety tests are administered.Baltimore Police have come under some scrutiny lately for the way they handled a traffic stop involving a city...
The do’s and don’ts of field sobriety stops, Part 1
You're nervous. You've never been asked to exit your vehicle before. You're sweating, uncomfortable, and the officer can tell. He explains that he suspects you have been drinking and driving and he is going to test your coordination. Even if you haven't been drinking,...
The steps to challenge a traffic stop
The DUI checkpoint is one of the most reliable tools in the law enforcement toolkit for combating drunken driving. Checkpoints and traffic stops occur when the office has a reasonable belief that something illegal is taking place in the vehicle, i.e. drunken driving....