The Robustness of the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test

Police officers follow procedures set forth in the NHTSA/IACP curriculum when they administer the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) to suspected alcohol-impaired drivers. The SFSTs include Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, Walk-and-Turn (WAT) test, and One-Leg Stand (OLS) test. Courts generally accept testimony about WAT and OLS, but may not admit testimony about HGN. It has been argued that variations from standard procedures in HGN administration affect its validity and should render testimony about it inadmissible. Three experiments examined the effects of procedural variations in administration of the HGN test. Variations in stimulus speed and elevation, and distance of the stimulus from the suspect's face were examined in a laboratory experiment. A second experiment conducted in training workshops varied the participants' positions (standing, sitting, lying down). The third experiment examined HGN in participants who have functional vision in only one eye. The data demonstrate the validity of the HGN test with both standard and varied testing procedures. The variations did not alter the occurrence of, or the observations of, HGN.

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• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/1821
• Corporate Authors:

  Southern California Research Institute

  11914 West Washington Boulevard
  Los Angeles, CA  United States  90066

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Burns, Marcelline
• Publication Date: 2007-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 60p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accuracy; Alcohol tests; Courts; Drunk drivers; Law enforcement; Test procedures
• Identifier Terms: Standardized Field Sobriety Tests
• Uncontrolled Terms: Horizontal gaze nystagmus
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01095919
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-810 831
• Contract Numbers: DTNH22-98-D-55079
• Files: HSL, NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 2 2008 4:15PM