Parameters Associated With a Typical Field Sobriety test
| Parameter | Rating |
|---|---|
| Breath odor of ethanol | Very strong, strong, moderate, faint, none |
| Attitude | Excited, hilarious, talkative, carefree, sleepy, profanity, combative, indifferent, insulting, cocky, cooperative, polite |
| Unusual actions | Hiccups, belching, vomiting, fighting, crying, laughing |
| Speech | Not understandable, muffled, slurred, mush mouthed, confused, thick tongued, stuttered, accent, fair, good |
| Eyes | Watery, pupil dilated, bloodshot, red eyelids, apparently normal |
| Balance | Falling, needing support, wobbling, swaying, unsure, fair, sure |
| Horizontal gaze, nystagmus (i.e., smooth pursuit) | a. Pencil held horizontally 12–15 inches from nose |
| b. Over 6 seconds, move pencil to the extreme left and right of eye field, repeat × 2 | |
| c. Subject observed for “lack of smooth pursuit” (i.e., no jerking or tremor eyeball) | |
| d. Jerk at maximum deviation | |
| e. Hold pencil at maximum for 4 seconds and observe for jerking toward center | |
| Reaction to light | If no drugs are present, the pupils should constrict within 1 second after penlight beam strikes the eye |
| Balance (walk and turn) | a. Read instructions (don't start until instructions are finished) |
| b. Rated as follows: starts too soon or cannot keep balance | |
| c. Walking stage (rate 1st 9 steps and 2nd 9 steps) | |
| d. Rated as follows: misses heel to toe, steps off imaginary line, raises arms, number of steps taken | |
| One-leg stand | a. Stand for 30 seconds with the left foot raised 6 inches off the ground |
| b. Rated at 0–10, 11–20, 21–30 seconds for: swaying, raising arms, hopping, foot down | |
| Quality of the speech (say the ABCs) | Slurred or thickened speech |
| Finger-to-nose | Assess motor coordination |
| Finger count | Counting fingers then touching thumb forward and backward |
| Counting backward | Assess thought processes and concentration |