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When you are stopped by the police, the encounter can be intimidating. While respect is a must, compliance with certain requests is not mandatory. At Glasgow & Olsson, we seek to inform and educate our clients about their rights when it comes to field sobriety testing.

Our attorneys are knowledgeable about field sobriety testing and are experienced at challenging test results and investigating the circumstances surrounding the testing. If you are facing a DUI offense and field sobriety tests were administered, you need the support of skilled DUI defense attorneys.

Explaining Field Sobriety Tests

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTHSA) recommends three standardized field sobriety tests:

  • Walk and turn – walking in one direction while placing one foot in front of the other without losing balance
  • Horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) – lateral or horizontal involuntary eye jerking when gazing at objects at either side of the range of vision
  • One-leg stand – standing on one leg while performing a task such as counting to ten

Field sobriety tests are used to help an officer make a judgment about any perceived impairment by a motorist operating a vehicle. Impairment is not automatically equal to DUI. A number of factors, such as illness, may affect your driving.

Your Rights at a Traffic Stop

If you get stopped by a police officer on suspicion of DUI, there are several things you need to know:

  • Any statements you make may be held against you in court
  • Field sobriety tests are voluntary
  • Some field sobriety tests are not standardized

Under Illinois law, you have the right to refuse field sobriety testing and you are not required to provide an explanation. You are also not required to make any statement about the traffic stop. Although there are nationally standardized field sobriety tests, our firm uses successful strategies for analyzing and challenging test results. If you submit to field sobriety testing, you are potentially helping the prosecution build a case against you. Do not help them; we can help you.

Contact us for your initial consultation. Se habla español. We help people across Cook, Kane and DuPage Counties. Our offices are in Schaumburg, Illinois, and we serve clients in Barrington, Geneva, Hoffman Estates, Rolling Meadows, Palatine, Wheaton, and throughout Chicagoland. Please call 847.577.8700 today.

Thomas Glasgow tried thousands of DUI cases as both a Cook County prosecutor and as a criminal defense attorney. He was the author and instructor for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education course on aggravated or felony DUI for other attorneys, prosecutors, and judges.