Traffic stops are one of the most common points of contact between the public and law enforcement. They are also one of the most misunderstood.

In Ohio OVI investigations, confusion is not accidental. Most people do not know what they are legally required to do during a stop, what is optional, or how standardized field sobriety tests are actually supposed to work. That lack of clarity shifts power entirely to the roadside officer, often without the driver realizing it.

The OVI Pocket Guide was created to address that imbalance through transparency, not advocacy.

Why Traffic Stop Confusion Matters

During an OVI stop, decisions are made quickly and under stress. Drivers are expected to comply, interpret instructions, and perform unfamiliar tasks, all while being observed and judged.

Most people assume that everything they are asked to do is mandatory. It is not.

Others assume that field sobriety tests are scientific measurements of impairment. They are not.

When those assumptions go unchallenged, misunderstanding becomes evidence.

What the OVI Pocket Guide Is

The OVI Pocket Guide is a plain-language educational resource explaining what Ohio drivers are legally allowed to do during an OVI stop and how field sobriety testing is intended to function under existing training standards.

It focuses on:

• procedural expectations during traffic stops,
• the difference between required compliance and voluntary cooperation, and
• the limits of standardized field sobriety testing.

The guide does not encourage impaired driving. It does not advise people to evade responsibility. It does not provide case-specific legal advice.

It explains process.

What the Guide Is Not

The OVI Pocket Guide is not a defense manual. It does not tell drivers how to “beat” a case. It does not advise refusal or obstruction.

Instead, it treats traffic stops as what they are: high-stakes encounters where clarity and accuracy matter.

Understanding procedure does not undermine accountability. It strengthens it.

Why Standardization Deserves Scrutiny

Field sobriety tests are routinely described as standardized and objective. In practice, their administration depends heavily on officer discretion.

The guide explains, at a high level, how these tests are supposed to be administered and why deviations from that process matter. It highlights the gap between how tests are described in court and how they are often performed roadside.

That gap is not an accusation. It is a fact of human systems.

Transparency begins with acknowledging it.

Who Created the Guide and Why

The OVI Pocket Guide was created by Brandon Harmony of Harmony Law, a Columbus-based law firm that works regularly with Ohio residents navigating the OVI system.

The motivation was not marketing. It was repetition.

When the same misunderstandings appear over and over, the problem is not individual behavior. It is information asymmetry.

The guide exists to narrow that gap.

A Public Resource, Not a Private Tool

The OVI Pocket Guide is publicly available and designed to be shared as a community education resource. It is intended for Ohio residents who want to understand their rights and responsibilities during traffic stops before they are placed in a high-pressure situation.

The full guide is available here:
https://www.harmony-law.com/ovi

The Takeaway

Accountability and civil liberties are not opposites. They depend on one another.

When procedures are understood, compliance becomes meaningful. When discretion is transparent, trust becomes possible.

The OVI Pocket Guide does not take sides. It explains the rules of the encounter so that everyone understands what is happening while it is happening.

That clarity benefits the public, the courts, and the system as a whole.