New Device "HawkEye" Checks Eyes to Detect DUI

AcunetX develops device to check for intoxication.

AcunetX, a California firm, has developed a device that will aid police in determining if a motorist is driving under the influence. The ‘HawkEye’ uses infrared light to test the movement of the eye during a field sobriety test. The results are transferred to a computer.

The technology adds documentation to the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, which requires a motorist suspected of drunk driving to follow an officer’s finger. The officer is looking for jerky motion in the eye which could be a sign of impairment.

Currently the California Highway Patrol has been using the HawkEye only as a training tool, not in the field. A few local police departments have begun trying the device at sobriety checkpoints. The HawkEye still faces the challenge of being accepted as a source of evidence in a DUI trial. The courts typically need time to consider the accuracy and dependability of any new technology.

DUI defense attorneys say the HawkEye only records eye movement, and it does not reflect whether the officer is conducting the test correctly. There also continue to be medical conditions that cause natural jerkiness in eye movement, meaning the new technology must be used in conjunction with another test for driving while intoxicated, such as a breathalyzer.

If you have been arrested for drunk driving you will need to hire a DUI attorney.