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Feet together, Arms at your sides
I have a lot of officers define “feet together” as heels and toes touching during HGN and instructional stage of OLS. I can’t find anywhere that defines this instruction. What does standing with feet together actually mean?
Most officers also require drivers’ hands to be touching their legs for arms at your sides. This seems like another overly strict and awkward position. Is there a definition of this?
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1 Reply
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The reason you have not found what defines “feet together” during the HGN and the OLS is because there is no explanation/description in the student manual or instructor manual on what “feet together” means. With that being said, during the SCRI study that was conducted in 1981 that created the original standardized instructions, the actual instruction was “heels together”, not “feet together”. “Heels together” was also in the first NHTSA manual produced (1984) as well as the next manual released (1987). When the 1992 manual was released, “heels together” was changed to “feet together”. I cannot find a reason why that language was changed.
As far as the “arms at your sides” instruction during the HGN and instructional stage for the OLS, the requirement for the driver’s hands to be actually touching their legs is not, and has never been, in the manuals as a requirement. An officer requiring this is making the test more difficult then it is designed to be.
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