If you are pulled over for suspicion of drunk driving, there may come a point when the officer decides to conduct a breathalyzer test. This device is meant to determine a person’s blood alcohol content level.
On the surface, the use of a breathalyzer test appears scientific. It appears that this would be 100 percent accurate at all times. However, this is not the case. There are many problems with this type of test, which can lead to a person being charged with a crime that they did not commit.
The problem with a breathalyzer test is that the results can vary greatly from one person to the next. This leads to a situation that is anything but fair, as a person could be charged when they are not drunk. Conversely, a person who is drunk could be left off the hook.
The most accurate way to calculate blood alcohol content is through a blood test. This is an accurate indicator of impairment, as opposed to a breathalyzer test that can provide a false reading.
Law enforcement and courts are doing their best to put an end to drunk driving. And for good reason. This is a major problem in the United States. It is a problem that leads to many accidents, injuries, and deaths every year.
The unfortunate side of this is that law enforcement and courts don’t always realize that breathalyzer tests are not 100 percent accurate. As a person charged with driving under the influence, it is important to understand how you were tested and whether the results were accurate.
Source: National Motorists Association, “Breathalyzers Fail Legitimacy Test,” accessed March 15, 2016
