DUI Document Library
Field Sobriety Tests
SFST · HGN · Walk-and-Turn · One-Leg Stand · validation studies
The NHTSA Standardized Field Sobriety Test manuals (1984–2018) and the San Diego, Florida, and Colorado validation studies — the exact roadside procedures officers are trained to follow, and the accuracy limits their own research documents.
24 documents in this topic.
What this material establishes
It sets out the exact standardized procedure for HGN, Walk-and-Turn, and One-Leg Stand — and the documented accuracy limits behind calling those tests 'validated'.
How it's used in a DUI defense
The SFST manuals are read line by line against the officer's report and video: the tests are validated only when administered in the prescribed, standardized manner, so a changed instruction, a mistimed HGN pass, an unlisted clue, a skipped demonstration, or a test run on a slope undercuts the very validity the state relies on. The validation studies are where the word 'validated' — and its limits — come from: small samples, near-laboratory conditions, and error rates that misclassify a meaningful share of sober subjects.
Documents in Field Sobriety Tests
NHTSA SFST Manuals · 17
2018 NHTSA Refresher Course Instructor Guide
NHTSA · 2018 · 28.2 MB
2018 NHTSA Refresher Course Student Manual
NHTSA · 2018 · 27.6 MB
2015 NHTSA Refresher Course Instructor Guide
NHTSA · 2015 · 4.7 MB
2015 NHTSA Refresher Student Manual
NHTSA · 2015 · 4.5 MB
2009 NHTSA SFST Student Manual
NHTSA · 2009 · 52.2 MB
2008 NHTSA Refresher Course Student Manual (4-hour)
NHTSA · 2008 · 185 KB
2008 NHTSA Refresher Course Student Manual (8-hour)
NHTSA · 2008 · 396 KB
2004 NHTSA SFST Instructor Manual
NHTSA · 2004 · 8.2 MB
2004 NHTSA SFST Refresher Instructor Manual
NHTSA · 2004 · 2.0 MB
2004 NHTSA SFST Refresher Student Manual
NHTSA · 2004 · 1.1 MB
2004 NHTSA SFST Student Manual
NHTSA · 2004 · 3.7 MB
2000 NHTSA SFST Student Manual
NHTSA · 2000 · 4.5 MB
1995 NHTSA SFST Student Manual
NHTSA · 1995 · 3.9 MB
1992 NHTSA SFST Student Manual
NHTSA · 1992 · 3.7 MB
1987 NHTSA SFST Student Manual Version 1
NHTSA · 1987 · 4.9 MB
1987 NHTSA SFST Student Manual Version 2
NHTSA · 1987 · 5.8 MB
1984 NHTSA SFST Student Manual
NHTSA · 1984 · 974 KB
NHTSA SFST Vaidation Studies · 5
1998 San Diego SFST Validation Study
NHTSA · 1998 · 129 KB
1997 Florida SFST Validation Study
NHTSA · 1997 · 320 KB
1995 Colorado SFST Validation Study
NHTSA · 1995 · 3.3 MB
1983 SFST Field Validation Study
NHTSA · 1983 · 648 KB
1977 SFST Validation Study
NHTSA · 1977 · 13.2 MB
Marine Environment Validation Studies · 2
1990 Marine Environment Study
NHTSA · 1990 · 3.5 MB
1987 Marine Environment Study-Draft
NHTSA · 1987 · 3.7 MB
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MVD, License & Interlock
Admin Per Se · 30-day hearing · suspension · CIID · ignition interlock
Police Codes, Reports & Forms
10-codes · crash report forms · DUI packet · report formats
Research & Studies
impairment science · driving cues · checkpoints · BAC research
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