---
title: "What are the NHTSA standards for field sobriety tests in Illinois?"
description: "Illinois officers are trained under NHTSA's Standardized Field Sobriety Testing curriculum, which recognizes three tests: horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk-and-turn, and one-leg stand. NHTSA requires..."
url: https://chicagoduilawyer.net/faq-items/what-are-the-nhtsa-standards-for-field-sobriety-tests-in-illinois/
date: 2026-07-08
modified: 2026-07-08
author: "Chicago DUI Lawyer"
type: faq
lang: en
---

# What are the NHTSA standards for field sobriety tests in Illinois?

Illinois officers are trained under NHTSA's Standardized Field Sobriety Testing curriculum, which recognizes three tests: horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk-and-turn, and one-leg stand. NHTSA requires standardized administration and scoring for the tests to retain their validated correlation with BAC. Deviations, whether in instructions, demonstration, surface conditions, or scoring, undermine reliability. The manual establishes minimum surface, footwear, medical screening, and lighting conditions. Non-standard tests such as the ABCs or the finger-to-nose lack the validation to support quantitative conclusions. Under Illinois evidentiary rules the results remain admissible but subject to cross-examination on manual compliance. A Chicago DUI lawyer uses the current NHTSA edition against the officer's own performance.