5 Things Authorities Don’t Want You to Know about Breathalyzer Tests
Breathalyzer tests are commonly used by police officers when they pull someone over on suspicion of drunk driving. Drivers exhale into a machine that gives a readout of their blood alcohol concentration, and this is presented as a more fool-proof, less subjective manner of judging intoxication than traditional field sobriety tests. However, there are many flaws associated with breathalyzer tests.
Weaknesses in Testing
While it makes sense to most that there should be some regulation of drinking and driving, the idea of breathalyzer tests can feel completely different when you are on the other side of having received a DWI or similar charge. You might feel like the test was faulty or the cops were unjust. Either of these could very well be the situation in your case. Consider the following:
- Improper calibration of a breathalyzer device can give the wrong result. There have been issues with police not being trained to calibrate the devices properly, and improper calibration means invalid charges.
- Say you only had one drink, and are not at all impaired in terms of driving, but you had that drink shortly before driving. Your breathalyzer results may be incorrect.
- There are many reasons that a device could give a false reading. Just one is that condensation in some devices has been shown to keep one person’s alcohol, so that the next person to use it has a higher reading than is true.
- Police officers can also make logistical errors in terms of failing to read Miranda rights or videotape the test.
- Many states are facing backlogs of DWI and DUI charges, and others have had hundreds of cases called into question due to faulty equipment or practices.
Don’t let these common problems affect your future. Get in touch with an experienced DWI defense attorney today.
Contact Us
If you are facing DWI charges, contact a San Antonio DWI attorney at the Law Offices of Chris S. Barnett today at 210-587-6464
