The Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test: fraudulent science in the American Courts. By JL Booker
by Collin, Dallas and Denton County DWI Lawyer Troy Burleson
If you have recently been charged with a Collin, Dallas or Denton County DWI and submitted to field sobriety tests then you NEED to read this article by JL Booker from the journal of Science and Justice Journal volume 44 pages 133-139 (18 June 2002) about the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test (HGN).
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The HGN test is typically the first test officers administer to drivers suspected of DWI. The officer will instruct the suspect to focus his or her eyes on a stimulus (usually a light or the tip of a pen) that is positioned 12-15 inches from, and slightly above, the subjects eyes. The officer will then make several passes in from of the subject’s eyes to look for an involuntary jerking (nystagmus) in the subjects eyes.
Prosecutors and police officers will say that the HGN is the most "scientific" and accurate of the three SFSTs. Articles like Dr. Bookers and Dr. Rubenzer's HGN study may open your eyes to the flawed "science" of the HGN eyes test.
