DUI Information

Field Sobriety Tests


First and foremost, Illinois DUI defendants should be aware of the fact that they can refuse to take a Field Sobriety Test and this refusal is not entered as evidence in a trial, thus has no legal consequences. Police officers need not inform DUI defendants about Field Sobriety Testing during a Illinois DUI stop.

There are three tests that are conducted to indicate the BAC (blood alcohol level) if it above 0.08% or above the legal limit when charged with DUI in Illinois. Blood Alcohol Tests have been validated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).


Tests include:

  • One leg stand - has a 65% reliability of predicting that a person’s BAC is above the legal limit. However, all of the proper instructions must be given to you for the test to be reliable.
  • Walk and Turn Test - the walk and turn has a 68% reliability of predicting that a person’s BAC is above the legal limit. However all of the proper instructions must be given for reliable testing to occur during the Illinois DUI conviction.
  • Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus - Sometimes referred to as the “eye twitch”- has a 77% reliability of predicting that a persons BAC is above the legal limit.