You probably took a field sobriety test before your Los Angeles arrest, and chances are you failed. That's not unusual - nearly everyone "fails" their field sobriety test. One test employed by police in Los Angeles DUI investigations is the ABC test.

Field sobriety tests don't help police decide whether to arrest you for Los Angeles DUI - these tests exist to establish probable cause and to create evidence for a drunk driving court case. If you took the ABC test or any other field sobriety test before you were arrested for drunk driving, you should consult with a Los Angeles DUI attorney.

An officer administering the ABC test will direct you to say or write the alphabet while standing with your feet together and your arms down. As you perform the test, the officer will be watching for signs of intoxication, including beginning the test too soon, failing to follow directions, slurred speech, or an inability to write or recite the alphabet correctly.

Perhaps police believe this test is reliable because we all know the alphabet, but in reality, anyone would be worried after being forced from your car next to a busy street or freeway, and it's far too easy to make a mistake. The test is designed to be failed, so your chances of success are minimal.

In fact, the ABC test is so unreliable a tool to assess the mental and physical impairment caused by alcohol intoxication that it isn't even standardized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA). Because NHSTA doesn't recognize the ABC test as a standardized test, it carries less evidentiary weight in court than standardized field sobriety tests and can be more easily challenged in court.

You may fear that "failing" your field sobriety test means that you'll automatically be convicted, but that's just not the case. The ABC test and other field sobriety tests can be challenged in court. A skilled Los Angeles DUI attorney from The Kavinoky Law Firm can outline an effective strategy to defend your drunk driving case during a free consultation