Massachusetts DWI DUI OUI Field Sobriety Test Police Training Manual

Driving on Other Than Designated Roadway—The vehicle is observed being driven on other than the roadway designated for traffic movement. Examples include driving: at the edge of the roadway. on the shoulder, off the roadway entirely, and straight through turn-only lanes or areas.

Swerving—A swerve is an abrupt turn away from a generally straight course. Swerving might occur directly after a period of drifting when the driver discovers the approach of traffic in an oncoming lane or discovers that the vehicle is going off the road; swerving might also occur as an abrupt turn is executed to return the vehicle to the traffic lane In the illustration below, a swerve was executed to return to a lane after a period of drifting toward opposing traffic.

Speed Slower than 10 M.P.H. Below Limit—The observed vehicle is being driving at a speed that is more [han 10 MPH below the speed limit.

Stopping in Lane for No Apparent Reason—The critical element in this cue is that there is no observable justification for the vehicle to stop in the traffic lane; the stop is not caused by traffic conditions, traffic signals, an emergency situation, or related circumstances. Impaired drivers might stop in the lane when their capability to interpret information and make decisions becomes impaired. As a consequence, stopping in lane for no apparent reason is likely to occur at intersections or other decision points.

Following Too Closely—The vehicle is observed following another vehicle while not maintaining the legal minimum separation.

Drifting—Drifting is a straight-line movement of the vehicle at a slight angle to the roadway. As the driver approaches a marker or boundary (lane marker, center line, edge of the roadway), the direction of drift might change. As shown in the illustration, the vehicle drifts across the lane marker into another lane, then the driver makes a correction and the vehicle drifts back across the lane marker. Drifting might be observed within a single lane, across lanes, across the centerline, onto the shoulder, and from lane to lane. 

Tires on Center or Lane Marker—The left-hand set of tires of the observed vehicle is consistently on the center line, or either set of tires is consistently on the lane marker.

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