Breathalysers are one method police officers spot and charge people with DUI (driving under the influence). Most times when a police officer flags down your car with suspicions of drunk-driving, they’ll insist on a breathalyser test. And while the results of this test stand as proof of higher-than-expected blood alcohol level in a court of law, many factors can interfere with the accuracy of your breath test.
In actual fact, studies have indicated a 50% margin of error when contrasting breathalyser results in real blood alcohol content test. So the results you are getting on your breathalyser test could be wrong? Yes. Discover the four reasons the readings from a breathalyser may wrongly convict an innocent driver.
1. Wrong calibration
Poorly calibrated breathalysers can send you behind bars. Besides, only a few officers care to maintain their gadgets or have them checked for accuracy.Plus, make sure to confirm if the officer who conducted the test is certified to use the gadget. What’s more, the equipment must record at least two readings within .02 of each other. Failure to meet any of these requirements gives your defence attorney an upper hand to argue that the results were wrong and inadmissible as evidence in a court of law. You can enjoy these legal services from Hupy and Abraham.
2. Interference by electromagnetic frequencies
Radio frequency transmissions affect the working of breathalysers and could lead to incorrect readings. Police transmitters, radar units, dispatchers, as well as AM & FM radios cause electromagnetic interferences which affect the functionality of breathalysers. As a result, any tester with an RFI detector may be untrustworthy.3. Some Health conditions
Health conditions like diabetes increase acetone levels in the body which could trigger a false positive finding on your alcohol test. Our regular breathalysers aren’t designed to separate between acetone and ethyl alcohol.Another health condition that could affect your breathalyser results is the Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this case, undigested alcohol may travel up the digestive tract leading to higher alcohol levels in the breath.
4. Being Exposed to certain chemicals
Breathalysers don’t really measure the alcohol level in one’s blood. Instead, they test the alcohol level in the air you exhale and use a formula to convert the finding into an estimation of the subject's blood alcohol level.But breathalysers can’t differentiate between alcohol and several other chemicals. Those who frequent places with oil-based paint, gasoline, celluloid, varnish, paint remover, lacquer, cement, and cleaning fluids may have some chemical fumes in their breath which may trigger a false-positive result on an alcohol breath test.
Wrapping Up
It can be annoying to get cuffed and rushed behind bars especially when you know you’re innocent. You can have your DUI charges dropped as long as you are aware of the many factors that can interfere with your blood alcohol level and lead to inaccurate findings. So do not give in to any driving under influence claims before you have a defence attorney scrutinise the breathalyser for evidence and help you make sure that you are not wrongly sentenced.
