One Leg Stand
Summarized:
This test requires you to stand on one leg, look at your foot and count to thirty.
This "test" should be performed on a hard, dry, level, non-slippery surface. Conditions are supposed to be such that you would not danger if you were to fall. Obviously certain weather conditions could interfere with and, therefore, impact the validity of this test.
This test should not be given to you if you are more than sixty-five years of age, more than fifty pounds overweight, or you have other physical impairments that interfere with your balance. If you happened to be wearing heels more than two inches tall you should have been given a chance to remove your shoes.
This test is not supposed to be given without adequate lighting. In total darkness a sober will have difficulty with this test because they don't have their normal visual frame of reference. The officer is supposed to observe you from at least three feet away and remain as motionless as possible. If not, the test may not be valid. There are two separate stages involved in giving or performing this test. The first stage is also called the Instruction Stage and the second stage is the actual performance of the test itself.
Instruction Stage:
The officer is supposed to advise you to stand with your heels together and arms down at your sides. He (she) should demonstrate this. In addition, he is supposed to tell you to not start the test until told to do so. Finally, he or she is supposed to ask you if you understand the instructions. This is not supposed to be any "scoring" at this point, however, if you fail to follow the instructions or start early that will count against you.
Performance Stage:
The officer is required to explain the test requirements further by instructing you to stand on one leg, holding the other foot in front, while he demonstrates. You should be allowed to stand on either leg. You should have been instructed to keep the your raised about six inches off the ground. The officer should also demonstrate the count as "one-one thousandth, "two-one thousandth, etc., all the way to thirty-one thousandth. Next you should have been told to look down at your foot while counting and throughout the entire test, to keep their arms at your sides and to refrain from hopping or swaying.