DUI,
Field Sobriety Tests and "Circadian Rhythm"
Information
courtesy of Lawrence Taylor - DUIblog
Most
drunk driving arrests take place at night, often after midnight.
One reason for this is that many police officers engage in "cherry
picking" -- that is, the illegal practice of staking out bars
and restaurants from about 10:00am to "closing time",
pulling cars over on some pretext as patrons leave and drive away.
It
is during this period of time that the individual's circadian rhythm
is taking effect.
The
circadian rhythm is that 24-hour biological alarm clock in each
of our bodies, most noticeable when we experience "jet lag".
Researchers have found that individuals will perform more poorly
in tests during the low point of the circadian rhythm -- that is,
during the hours after midnight and into the early morning. It is
just such tests -- called "field sobriety tests" -- that
officers use to determine whether a driver is intoxicated or not.
Specifically,
British physicians and psychiatrists reported that "the same
blood alcohol level is associated with a significantly greater impairment
of different aspects of psychological funtioning when achieved in
the morning." "Circadian Variation in Effects of Ethanol
in Man", 18 (Supp. 1) Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior
555.
The
researchers concluded that "the differences we have found...must
be attributable to circadian change and susceptibility of the body
to its effect."
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