Why Field Sobriety Medical Limitations Come Up
Roadside tasks ask people to balance, turn and follow an object with their eyes. Plenty of sober people struggle with those tasks because of a health condition. Field sobriety medical limitations are the physical reasons a person might perform poorly for reasons other than alcohol or drugs.
Whether a condition mattered in a given case is a medical and legal question. A treating clinician and a lawyer are the right people to answer it.
Conditions That May Affect Balance
Some conditions affect the legs, back or inner ear. Others affect vision, coordination or the ability to follow quick instructions. Recent surgery and pain can also play a part.
- Knee, hip, ankle or back injuries
- Inner ear and vertigo problems
- Neurological conditions
- Certain eye conditions
- Medications with known side effects
No list can say how any one condition affects any one person. So avoid assuming a link without a medical opinion.
Field Sobriety Medical Limitations at the Stop
Some people mention a condition to the officer before the tests. When that happens, the remark may appear in the report or on video. Other people do not think of it until later, which is common under stress.
Either way, the record of what was said matters. The guide on DUI camera evidence explains how video can show the instructions and the surface.
Records That Help
Medical records written before the arrest carry weight because they show the condition already existed. Records written after the arrest can still help when a clinician explains them.
Gather visit notes, imaging reports and prescription lists. Then share them with a lawyer, who decides what to use. The article on DUI medication records covers medicine histories in more detail.
Medical Conditions and Chemical Testing
Some health conditions also affect chemical testing choices. Vehicle Code section 23612 exempts a person with hemophilia from the blood test, and also a person with a heart condition who uses an anticoagulant under a physician’s direction. In those cases the person must take a urine test instead.
Those exemptions concern chemical tests after arrest. They do not change how field tasks are scored.
Keeping the Question Honest
Field sobriety medical limitations should never become an invented excuse. A real condition backed by records can matter, while a made up one can damage credibility.
When in doubt, ask the treating clinician to describe the condition in plain terms. That opinion, together with the report, gives a lawyer an accurate picture. The broader guide on California field sobriety tests explains what officers observe in the first place.