Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus
* Instructions: The officer positions an object 12 – 15 inches from the drivers face; then moves the object from side to side asking the driver to follow it with his or her eyes.
* Signs of Intoxication: Involuntary jerking of the eyeball.
* How to beat it: “The consumption of common substances such as caffeine, nicotine, or aspirin also leads to nystagmus almost identical to that caused by alcohol consumption.” (Pangman, Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus: 2 DWI J. 1, 3-4 [1987]). With this in mind, if you indicate that you drank coffee, an energy drink or smoked cigarettes, the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test is compromised.