In my practice, I have yet to see an officer request any of my clients to recite the alphabet either backwards or forward. And some may have the DUI suspect say the alphabet backwards! Some officers may have a DUI suspect begin reciting the alphabet beginning on an arbitrary letter such as “J.” Other officers may have the DUI suspect stop at an arbitrary letter. Since the alphabet test is not endorsed by the NHTSA, there are no set guidelines for which an officer can administer it. These indicators include the following: Whether the DUI suspect improperly states the alphabet, whether the DUI suspect sways, opens their eyes, or needs to use his or her arms for balance. The officer will then look for the presence of impairment indicators. A DUI suspect may also be asked to recite the alphabet forward, sometimes with their eyes closed. If the alphabet is used at all as a field sobriety test, the DUI suspect is usually asked to recite it forward without singing. Any other field sobriety test, including the backwards alphabet recital, is not supported by research and does not meet the requirements for standardization.īut just because the backwards alphabet recital test is not endorsed by the NHTSA, doesn’t mean that law enforcement can’t use it. These tests are standardized and include the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, the walk-and-turn test, and the stand on one leg test. The field sobriety tests that are usually used by law enforcement during a DUI stop are endorsed by the National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). To read more about the field sobriety tests endorsed by the NHTSA, click here.People ask me about field sobriety tests all of the time and one of the most common questions I get is, “Will the officer really make me recite the alphabet backwards?” The answer is that they can, but they probably won’t. Often times, there are small mistakes officers make that allow the evidence to be inadmissible at court. However, since the alphabet field sobriety test is not approved by NHTSA, there are no rules and regulations that officers are required to follow if they do wish to have you recite the alphabet.Ĭontact Attorney DelSignore today if you would like to discuss any field sobriety tests you may have taken after being stopped by a police officer. If an officer were to ask you to recite the alphabet, it is much more likely you would be asked to say the alphabet forward and to recite it at a slow pace. This means that any other field sobriety test, including the reciting of the ABC’s backwards, is not scientifically reliable and therefore wouldn’t necessarily constitute an arrest. The National Traffic Safety Administration, sometimes referred to as NHTSA, states that the only field sobriety tests that are supported by research are the: While the ABC test is a real sobriety test that officers can utilize to determine a persons blood alcohol concentration, it is highly unlikely you will be required to recite the alphabet backwards backwards-recital of the ABC’s is more of a myth than a reality for most. Reciting the ABC’s is a commonly used method, and many people believe that, if pulled over, they will be required to recite the ABC’s backward. If you find yourself in a situation where you are pulled over by a police officer after a night of drinking, it is likely the officer will instruct you to perform field sobriety tests as a way to determine if you are in fact intoxicated.