DUI Lawyer In Sacramento

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Involuntary Field Sobriety Tests

The Horizontal Gaze System (HGN) is the third nationally standardized field sobriety test. In this test, the officer monitors the defendant's eyes, which are following a moving object, usually the tip of a pen. The pen is approximately six inches from the defendant's nose, and slowly move each shoulder and then toward the forehead and chest. If the eye begins jerking, as opposed to a smooth pursuit, before the pen reaches a 45-degree angle, this represents alcohol impairment.

Accuracy - Of all the sobriety tests, the HGN is most accurate, though it is only 77% reliable. In other words 23 out of 100 individuals would fail the test despite being sober.

Laboratory Conditions - Although the HGN measures an involuntary physical response, it still has serious flaws. The test's accuracy is a product of ideal laboratory conditions—adequate lighting and precise measuring devices. In most drunk driving arrests, the test is performed on a dark street with officers using streetlights, headlights, or a flashlight for illumination, and no instruments are available to measure a 45-degree angle. It is extremely difficult to monitor a jerking of the eye, and the test result is wholly unreliable at a 55-degree angle.

If you have been arrested and charged with a DUI, contact a DUI lawyer in Sacramento Richard Allaye Chan Jr. for free consultation. Call (916) 446-4400 today.

Allaye Chan Law – Criminal Defense
1000 G Street, Suite 220
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 446-4400