Are Breathalyzers Reliable at Proving Intoxication?

Breath testing has been the most common method of investigating and confirming a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Law enforcement and similar authorities typically use handheld electronic devices known as breathalyzers to test an individual’s breath and obtain a BAC reading. But are these breath testing devices actually reliable? Are they accurate? Do they really prove intoxication?

Continue reading to learn more about breath testing and breathalyzers, including what to do if you believe you have been wrongly arrested after failing a breathalyzer test in Indiana.

DUI Defense Lawyer Indianapolis Indiana 317-636-7514
DUI Defense Lawyer Indianapolis Indiana 317-636-7514

Breathalyzer Testing

Breathalyzers are science-based electronic devices that are designed to read and compute blood alcohol levels based on breath. There are different types of breathalyzers. Some are designed with fuel cells that generate an electric current, while others use infrared light or chemical reactions.

The average person has no idea how these scientific electronic devices work, so many people tend to blindly trust whatever reveals. But like all manufactured commodities, especially electronic ones, design flaws and happen. In such a case, breathalyzers might incorrectly or inaccurately process the blood alcohol concentration in a person’s breath.

Breathalyzer Test Reliability

So, how reliable are these breathalyzers? Possibly not so much, at least not all the time. According to a post in the New York Times, thousands of people have been arrested based on flawed breath testing results over the years, and courts across the country have thrown out more than 50,000 tests.

As most fragile computer-based electronic devices go, breathalyzers require routine maintenance and care, including precise calibration. Not only must these devices be set up properly, but they must also be used correctly and by a certified operator. And the unfortunate truth is that the standards for proper breathalyzer usage and maintenance are not highly regulated.

Most law enforcement agencies are not monitored on how well they take care of or calibrate their BAC-measuring machines, how well they train their staff to use them, and how well they store their data. With all of these factors at play, there are many variables that can cause breathalyzers to compute inaccurately, and therefore, give unreliable BAC test results.

Get Yourself a Lawyer After Failing a Breath Test

Unfortunately, most law enforcement officials will take whatever reading the breathalyzer gives them and use it as just cause to arrest a person for public intoxication or drunk driving. For this reason, it is important to obtain professional and private criminal defense legal representation to fight your criminal charges. Good criminal defense attorneys have the resources, knowledge, and skills to reduce your charges or dismissed them entirely based on an unjust arrest.

Are you ready to preserve your freedom by getting started on your defense now? Contact Attorney David E. Lewis at 317-636-7514 for the best chance at reducing or dismissing your public intoxication or DUI charges in Indianapolis, Indiana. We represent clients all throughout the state of Indiana.

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