Fiorentino, D. D., Dietel, B. M., & Jimenez, D. D. (2011). Development of sobriety tests for the marine environment. Transportation Research Record, 2222, 85-89.

Objective: Six seated tests were evaluated in the laboratory to determine whether they are feasible for use on the water as sobriety tests to measure impairment due to alcohol at blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of .08% and above. Background: The standardized field sobriety tests (SFSTs) currently used at roadside are not suitable for the marine environment, leaving marine law enforcement officers with insufficient methods to assess impairment on the water. Method: One hundred and fifty-seven subjects were randomly assigned to one of four BAC groups: .00%, .04%, .08%, and .12%. Six tests were administered to the subjects by experienced law enforcement officers. Neither the testers nor the subjects were privy to the subjects’ BACs.  A variable called BAC Status (N = 138) was obtained by dichotomizing the average BAC into BAC < .08% and BAC ≥ .08%. Results: A combination of four tests, horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN), finger to nose (FTN), palm pat (PP), and hand coordination (HC) correctly classified 82% of the BACs ≥ .08%, 67% of the BACs < .08%, for an overall percent correct of 72%. Four individual tests also predicted BAC Status: HGN, FTN, PP, and HC. Conclusions: Four tests in combination and individually discriminated BAC Status, although the overall percent correct, sensitivity, and specificity of the tests were below what is typically reported in literature on the roadside SFSTs. Application: With the proper refinements, the four tests may assist marine officers with assessments of alcohol-related impairment in recreational boaters.