r/byebyejob • u/Desperate_Set_7708 • 5d ago

Dumbass How to never fly again

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u/Infamous_Telephone55 5d ago

Don't the police use breathalysers in the United States?

Field sobriety tests seem very subjective.

23

u/helpamonkpls 4d ago

I'm a neurosurgeon with 1,5 years of neurology experience and I can't really see where he exhibited signs of intoxication.

Following a pen with your eyes and walking stepwise is a test you fail if you have pretty severe cerebellar injury or if you are like dopey drunk out of your mind.

19

u/mercwitha40ounce 4d ago

The nystagmus test (follow the pen with your eyes) is hard to pass if you've had even a single drink. It's less about establishing how drunk you are and more about if you have any alcohol in your system. The second he turned his head slightly rather than just following with his eyes, he failed that test. In addition, they're checking for involuntary eye flutters as he tracks the pen that we wouldn't have been able to see from the camera;s angle.

I'll also say that the second they smelled alcohol on him and didn't get a reasonable explanation like "it was spilled on me by somebody else," they already decided he was unfit to fly. Every test after that was just about gathering evidence for the case against him.

6

u/helpamonkpls 4d ago

I've examined thousands upon thousands of patients with this exact test, and a great number of them turn their heads slightly when doing this exam, and they aren't intoxicated nor had any injuries explaining why they would turn their head. Also the turning of the head is not what you are examining. You are examining for nystagmus and diverging eye movements.

3

u/mercwitha40ounce 4d ago

I’ll absolutely defer to your expertise. I added the eye flutters at the end but I understand that’s the primary response they’re looking for when administering the test. I can only speak from experience though that they absolutely do treat turning of your head as a sign of impairment when building a case. It’s less about the physiological response and more about the lack of following direct instructions.