Massachusetts DWI DUI OUI Field Sobriety Test Police Training Manual

• short-term memory;
• judgment and decision making;
• balance;
• steady, sure reactions;
• clear vision;
• small muscle control;
• coordination of limbs.

Any test that requires a person to demonstrate two or more of these capabilities simultaneously is potentially a good psychophysical test.

Simplicity is the key to divided attention field sobriety testing. It is not enough to select a test that just divides the subject’s attention. The test also must be one that is reasonably simple for the average person to perform when sober. Tests that are difficult for a sober subject to perform have little or no evidentiary value.

Two divided attention field sobriety tests that have proven accurate and effective in DWI detection are the Walk-and-Turn and the One-Leg Stand. These tests are described briefly below.

Walk-and-Turn

Walk-and-Turn is a test that has been validated through extensive research sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It is a divided attention test consisting of two stages:

• Instructions Stage; and,

• Walking Stage.

In the Instructions Stage, the subject must stand with their feet in heel-to-toe position, keep their arms at their sides, and listen to the instructions. The Instructions Stage divides the subject’s attention between a balancing task (standing while maintaining the heel-to-toe position) and an information processing task (listening to and remembering instructions).

In the Walking Stage the subject takes nine heel-to-toe steps, turn in a prescribed manner, and take nine heel-to-toe steps back, while counting the steps out loud, while watching their feet. During the turn, the subject keeps their front foot on

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