Field Sobriety Tests

 Posted on March 15, 2017 in Uncategorized

If you are under investigation during a traffic stop for a DUI in Cook, Lake or DuPage county one of the Field Sobriety Tests your are likely to be asked to perform is the “Walk and Turn” test.

The “walk and turn” is fairly straight-forward. The officer will direct you to stand with your arms at your sides and place one foot directly in front of the other (heel-to-toe). The officer will then have you stay in this position while he gives you the following instructions: Take nine heel-to-toe steps forward, turn, and take nine heel-to-toe steps back. Sometimes the officer will tell you to imagine you are following a straight line on the ground. Sometimes there may be an actual line to follow (parking stripes etc.). He will tell you to keep your hands at your sides and possibly count the steps out loud.

While it’s fairly obvious that if you lose your balance and fall you will score poorly on the test, there are other more subtle clues the officer is looking for to confirm his suspicions of DUI. Some of these clues include: losing your balance while listening to instructions, starting the test before being instructed to do so by the officer, stopping while performing the test, failing to touch heal-to-toe on all steps, stepping off the line, using your arms to balance, making an improper turn, and failing to take the correct number of steps.

As always, if pulled over for a suspected DUI charge, it is always the recommendation of this office to politely decline all field sobriety tests and any form of chemical testing. 

The Law Office of Matt Gebhardt, P.C., located in Buffalo Grove, IL, represents clients in the following areas:

Skokie Courthouse: 
Deerfield, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Golf, Kenilworth, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Park Ridge, Skokie, Wilmette, Winnetka, Cook County Sheriff, Cook County Forest Preserve, Illinois State Police Districts 03 and 15, and Union Pacific Railroad.

Rolling Meadows Courthouse:
 Arlington Heights, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Bensenville, Buffalo Grove, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Harper College, Harwood Heights, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Kildeer, Mount Prospect, Norridge, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Rosemont, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, South Barrington, Streamwood, Wheeling, Cook County Sheriff, Cook County Forest Preserve, Illinois State Police - Districts 2, 3, and 15.

Lake County Courthouse:
 Antioch, Bannockburn, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Beach Park, Buffalo Grove, Deer Park, Deerfield, Fox Lake, Fox River Grove, Grayslake, Green Oaks, Gurnee, Hainesville, Hawthorn Woods, Highland Park, Highwood, Indian Creek, Island Lake, Kildeer, Lake Barrington, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lake Villa, Lake Zurich, Lakemoor, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Lindenhurst, Long Grove, Mettawa, Mundelein, North Barrington, North Chicago, Old Mill Creek, Park City, Port Barrington, Riverwoods, Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park, Third Lake, Tower Lakes, Vernon Hills, Volo, Wadsworth, Wauconda, Waukegan, Wheeling, Winthrop Harbor, Zion

*We also serve clients throughout Chicago and DuPage County.