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The One-Leg-Stand Test

If you’ve been arrested and charged for DUI, the arresting officer probably used the one-leg stand test in order to gauge your sobriety. This is because the one-leg-stand test is one of the three standardized field sobriety tests, which are the horizontal nystagmus test, the walk and turn test, and the one-leg-stand test. These tests are used because, in a 1975 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study, they were the only three that could be demonstrated to be reasonably accurate.

In the one-leg-stand test, the arresting officer asks the defendant to stand on one leg and then checks for four signs that are known to be indicative of inebriation: swaying while trying to balance, using the arms to balance, hopping up and down, and failure to keep one foot up. If two or more of these signs are found, there is a 65% chance of the defendant having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.10.

However, this assumes that the officer is administering the test correctly. Many officers make mistakes when administering this test, most often by failing to find a suitable surface to administer the test on. The test needs to be administered on a dry, level, and relatively solid surface in order to be accurate.

Furthermore, there are many medical conditions that could result in false positives, including back, leg, or inner-ear problems. People who are obese or over the age of 65 also tend to have trouble with this test.

Make sure you have a skilled Sacramento DUI defense attorney who is can use all these facts to your advantage. Call Sacramento DUI defense attorney Param Pabla today for an initial consultation.

Client Reviews
★★★★★
“Mr. Pabla represented me with my DUI case. He has excellent communication skills and always kept me informed. Mr. Pabla made sure I understood the process and my rights. He eased my mind through a very stressful situation. I highly recommend Mr. Pabla.” Gurpreet
★★★★★
“I am so happy with the service that I received from Param S. Pabla. Jarrett did a great job solving my legal issue and I can’t recommend him enough! He was able to do everything quickly, painlessly, and was ALWAYS available to talk when I needed him. If I ever need help again, I will definitely use him!" Boris
★★★★★
“Param was excellent in my court case of failure to stop at a stop sign. The officer could not see clearly because he was too far away. The officer insisted he could and said he had video but could not produce it at the trial. The officer then asked if he could suspend the trial to go get the video but the judge said he should have had plenty of time to get the video ready beforehand. Needless to say, the judge ruled in my favor and dismissed the case which enraged the officer. Pabla Param’s defense and cross examination skills were excellent and paramount in having the case dismissed. Highly recommended.” T.C.
★★★★★
“My husband and I needed to update everything -family trust, will, medical stuff. Param was really patient -answering all my questions -even when I asked them twice. He wanted to be sure I understood everything we were doing. All docs were sent to us so we could go through them on our own time before anything was finalized. I also liked when we were looking at medical stuff that he had a conversation with me about what I wanted and pointed out some things I didn’t think of.” Debbie