Background:
In the 1970s, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began sponsoring research studies into the development of standardized tests for law enforcement officers to use to evaluate levels of impairment in drivers suspected of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs or driving while intoxicated (DWI). A number of tests were studied, and some of them were validated by the studies as being accurate indicators of impairment.
The Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) course, also known as the DUI or DWI Detection course, is a comprehensive course that is designed to increase the student's ability to detect impairment in drivers. The fundamental purpose of this training course is to foster DWI deterrence, i.e., to dissuade people from driving while impaired by increasing the odds that they will be arrested and convicted. SFST training focuses on the three-phases of the DUI/DWI detection investigation, and especially on the battery of three tests that were validated by NHTSA in their studies. Students in this class learn how to recognize and document the presence or lack of clues from each test that indicate impairment in suspected DUI subjects. Successful completion of this class has resulted in attendees' improved ability to remove impaired drivers from California's roadways.
