Rizio and Nelson California Law Blog

Law enforcement agencies utilize a number of different field sobriety tests in order to determine enough probable cause to make a DUI arrest. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) has conducted studies that have determined that some tests are accurate indicators, to a certain degree, of a blood alcohol content (BAC) above .10%. However, law enforcement agencies frequently use non-scientific tests, or non-standardized field sobriety tests, to determine intoxication accurately.

The alphabet test is not recognized as a standardized field sobriety test (FST). The difference is that non-standardized FST’s do not have scientific data supporting their use as a means of indicating alcohol impairment.

Method

The subject is directed to stand upright with their hands at their sides. The subject is instructed to recite the alphabet aloud, either from A to Z or from one established arbitrary letter to another.

Clues

1. Subject starts too soon
2. Subject is unable to follow instructions
3. Subject skipped one or more letters
4. Subject stopped and then restarted test (usually restarting from beginning)
5. Subject exhibited other objective clues of intoxication

Scoring

Because this test is non-standardized, there is no scientifically-based scoring system to determine how many clues it requires to fail it. Therefore, whether or not the subject passes or fails is subjective to the officer administering the test and not completely reliable.

If you or a loved one was arrested for DUI, please contact a skilled defense attorney at the law offices of Rizio and Nelson today.