Massachusetts DWI DUI OUI Field Sobriety Test Police Training Manual

DETECTION PHASES

The typical DWI contact involves three separate and distinct phases:

Phase One: Vehicle in motion
Phase Two: Personal contact
Phase Three: Pre-arrest screening

(See Exhibit 4-1.)

EXHIBIT 4-1
DWI DETECTION PHASES

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In Phase One, you usually observe the driver operating the vehicle. In Phase Two, after you have stopped the vehicle, there usually is an opportunity to observe and speak with the driver face-to-face. In Phase Three, you usually have an opportunity to administer some formal structured field sobriety tests to the driver to evaluate the degree of impairment. You may administer a preliminary breath test in addition to field sobriety tests to verify that alcohol is the cause of the impairment.

The DWI detection process does not always include all three phases. Sometimes there are DWI detection contacts in which Phase One is absent; that is, cases in which you have no opportunity to observe the vehicle in motion. This may occur at the scene of a crash to which you have been called, at a roadblock, or when you have responded to a request for motorist assistance. Sometimes there are DWI contacts in which Phase Three never occurs. There are cases in which you would not administer formal tests to the driver. These may occur when the driver is impaired or badly injured, or refuses to submit to tests.

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