Quick answer: The Walk-and-Turn is one of three standardized field sobriety tests police use in a Maryland DUI stop. You take nine heel-to-toe steps down a line, turn, and take nine steps back — 18 steps in all — while the officer counts eight specific “clues.” It is a divided-attention test, not a simple balance test, and in Maryland you can politely decline it: field sobriety tests are voluntary. Plenty of sober people fail it, and a good defense starts with how the officer gave and scored the test.
I’m David Waranch, and I’ve handled thousands of Maryland DUI and traffic cases. Below is exactly what the Walk-and-Turn measures, why it trips up sober drivers, and how I challenge it in court.
What Is the Walk-and-Turn Test?
The Walk-and-Turn is one of the three field sobriety tests the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has standardized, alongside the One-Leg Stand and the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (the “follow my pen” eye test). If you’re stopped for a suspected DUI in Maryland, the officer will almost always ask you to perform it.
Here’s the key point most people miss: this is a divided-attention test. It’s built to load your brain with two jobs at once — following a physical task and remembering a string of instructions — because that’s what alcohol impairs. The test actually starts before you take a single step, when the officer has you stand in the “ready position” (one foot directly in front of the other, arms at your sides) and listen to a long set of directions. Your ability to hold that awkward stance while absorbing instructions is the very first thing being graded.
How the 18-Step Test Works
NHTSA breaks the Walk-and-Turn into two stages. Get the sequence wrong at any point and the officer can mark a clue against you.
| Stage | What you’re told to do |
|---|---|
| Instructions stage | Stand heel-to-toe on a real or imaginary line, right foot in front of left, arms down, and stay there while the officer explains and demonstrates the whole test. |
| Walking stage | Take nine heel-to-toe steps down the line, counting each step out loud; turn by keeping the front foot planted and taking a series of small steps; then take nine heel-to-toe steps back. That’s 18 steps total. |
You’re expected to watch your feet, keep your arms pinned at your sides, count aloud, and not stop once you begin. It sounds simple standing in a courtroom. On a sloped shoulder of the road, at night, in traffic, with an officer’s flashing lights behind you, it is anything but.
What Are the Eight Clues Officers Look For?
Officers are trained to watch for eight standardized clues. NHTSA guidance tells them that two or more clues suggest impairment — meaning you can “fail” this test on just two small slips out of a long, unnatural routine.
| # | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cannot keep balance while listening to the instructions |
| 2 | Starts walking before the instructions are finished |
| 3 | Stops while walking to steady yourself |
| 4 | Does not touch heel-to-toe (leaves a gap between steps) |
| 5 | Steps off the line |
| 6 | Uses your arms to balance (raises them from your sides) |
| 7 | Turns improperly or loses balance on the turn |
| 8 | Takes the wrong number of steps |
Do I Have to Take the Walk-and-Turn in Maryland?
No. Field sobriety tests are voluntary in Maryland. There is no law that requires you to walk a line for an officer, and there is no license penalty for politely declining. That is very different from the breath test after a DUI arrest, which is covered by Maryland’s implied-consent law — refusing that test carries its own consequences. If you’re unsure how those two decisions differ, read our page on whether you can refuse a breathalyzer in Maryland and our overview of refusing a breath test.
The costliest myth: “I have to do the tests, so I might as well try.” You don’t. Agreeing to the Walk-and-Turn only hands the officer more evidence to use against you, and the test is graded against a standard almost no one can meet cold on the roadside. Declining field sobriety tests is not a crime and is not a refusal under the implied-consent law. Be polite, stay calm, and ask to speak with a lawyer.
Innocent Reasons Sober People “Fail”
The Walk-and-Turn assumes a healthy, athletic person on a flat surface in good conditions. Real roadside stops are nothing like that. NHTSA’s own materials caution that certain people have trouble with this test regardless of alcohol, and the roadside itself often stacks the deck. Common innocent explanations include:
- Age — the test is harder for people over 65.
- Weight — being 50 or more pounds overweight affects balance.
- Back, leg, hip, knee, ankle, or inner-ear conditions that affect balance.
- Footwear — heels, boots, or flip-flops make heel-to-toe steps nearly impossible.
- The surface — gravel, a sloped shoulder, potholes, or a wet or icy road.
- Conditions — darkness, cold, wind, rain, and passing traffic.
- Nerves — most people are frightened during a police stop, and fear affects coordination.
None of these have anything to do with alcohol, yet each one can produce the exact “clues” an officer is trained to record. The same problems undercut the One-Leg Stand test, and both are covered in our broader look at standardized field sobriety tests.
How a Maryland DUI Lawyer Challenges the Test
The Walk-and-Turn is only reliable when it is given exactly the way NHTSA prescribes. Officers frequently cut corners, and every deviation is an opening. When I review a case, I look at:
- The instructions. Did the officer explain and demonstrate the test correctly? A rushed or garbled instruction sets the driver up to fail.
- The conditions. Was there a real line? Was the ground level, dry, and safe? Body-camera and dashcam video often show the opposite.
- The scoring. Officers sometimes count clues that didn’t happen or misjudge a half-inch heel-to-toe gap. Video lets us check the tape against the report.
- The driver. Age, weight, injuries, medical conditions, and footwear all explain “clues” the officer chalked up to alcohol.
Getting the field sobriety evidence discredited or thrown out can change the whole case, especially when it’s paired with a challenge to the breath or blood test. For what’s actually at stake, see our pages on Maryland DUI penalties and Maryland DUI and DWI laws explained. If you were also cited for something like speeding or negligent driving in the same stop, a Maryland traffic violation lawyer should handle those together.
Walk-and-Turn Questions I Hear Most
Yes. Field sobriety tests are voluntary in Maryland, and there is no license penalty for declining one. This is different from the post-arrest breath test, which is covered by the implied-consent law and does carry consequences if you refuse it.
Officers are trained to look for eight standardized clues, and NHTSA guidance treats two or more clues as a sign of impairment. That means you can be scored as failing on just two small mistakes across an 18-step routine.
Absolutely. Age, weight, injuries, inner-ear or balance conditions, footwear, an uneven or wet road, darkness, and simple nerves can all produce the clues officers record, with no alcohol involved. That is a central reason the test can be challenged.
Law Offices of David R. Waranch — 301-563-9575 · toll-free 1-877-566-2408. Hablamos Español.
Last updated: August 2026. The Walk-and-Turn is a standardized field sobriety test defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); field sobriety tests are voluntary in Maryland. This page is general information about Maryland law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.