The Court Of Public Opinion

Arrested for drunk driving? A San Diego firm of DUI defense attorneys reports that breathalyzers used by law enforcement do not actually measure alcohol — and thus may produce falsely high blood alcohol readings.

According to the the Law Offices of Lawrence Taylor, Inc., in San Diego, California, most breathalyzers used in DUI cases by law enforcement today use infrared spectroscopy. This technology involves detection of the methyl group in the molecular structure of alcohol. The problem is that there are thousands of chemical compounds containing the methyl group — some of them found on the human breath. In one study involving 28 subjects, for example, researchers found that the combined expired air comprises at least 102 various organic compounds of endogenous and exogenous origin (Characterization of Human Expired Air, 15 Journal of Chromatographic Sciences 240).

If a person has any of these other compounds on his breath, called interferents by the engineers, he will get a falsely high blood-alcohol test result. And if there are two or more such compounds on his breath, the machine will add them up and falsely report the total as the blood- alcohol level.

So what compounds can be found on your breath? According to the San Diego DUI attorneys, diabetics with low blood sugar can have high levels of acetone — which is seen as alcohol by Breathalyzers. And scientific studies have found that people on diets can have reduced blood-sugar levels, causing acetone hundreds of times higher than found in normal individuals (Frank and Flores, The Likelihood of Acetone Interference in Breath Alcohol Measurements, 3 Alcohol, Drugs and Driving 1). And there are many other so-called interferents affecting breathalyzer results

If you are a smoker, your breathalyzer result is likely to be higher than expected. The compound acetaldehyde — containing the methyl group and so reported by the Breathalyzer as alcohol — is produced in the human body as a by-product in metabolizing consumed alcohol, and eventually passes into the lungs and breath. Researchers have discovered that levels of acetaldehyde in the lungs can be 30 times higher in smokers than in non-smokers. Result: higher BAC readings on the machine.

The San Diego DUI lawyers report that common household products, such as paint, glue, gasoline, and thinners also contain the methyl group. No, you don?t have to drink the stuff: simply absorbing it through your skin or inhaling the fumes can result in significant levels of the chemical in your body for hours or even days, depending upon the half- life of the compound. So if you?ve painted a room or breathed in fumes at a gas station in the last day or two, don’t take a breathalyzer test.

If you are stopped by the police and suspected of drunk driving, say the San Diego DUI lawyers, you might consider a blood test rather than submitting to a breathalyzer.

The Law Offices of Lawrence Taylor http://www.san-diego-dui.com/

If you have been arrested for DUI or DWI, it is obviously cause for concern?but not for despair. By hiring a quality defense lawyer who can protect your rights, there are a host of ways your case may be defendable. That?s why it would be a good idea to consider hiring one of America?s Top DUI and DWI Defense Attorneys now. Here?s a few ways our lawyers may be able to win your case. Even if your case involves a drug, drugs, medicine or alcohol, they will help.

ILLEGAL STOP OF PERSON OR VEHICLE ? a driver cannot be stopped unless the officer has a reasonable and articulate basis to believe that a traffic law or other law has been violated. Similarly, a person cannot be seized unless a violation has occurred.

WEAVING INSIDE THE LANES IS NOT ILLEGAL ? weaving without crossing any lines is not a violation of the law, and a vehicle cannot be stopped for that reason.

ANONYMOUS REPORT OF DRUNK DRIVING ? a car cannot be stopped simply because an anonymous citizen reported that the driver was drunk.

STANDARD FIELD SOBRIETY TESTING IS INACCURATE ? in healthy individuals, the one-leg stand test is only 65% accurate, and the walk-and-turn test is only 68% accurate in determining if a person is under the influence. Those persons with injuries, medical conditions, 50 pounds or greater overweight, and 65 years or older cannot be validly judged by these tests.

NON-STANDARDIZED FIELD TESTS ARE INVALID ? neither the Federal Government (NHTSA) nor medical science considers touching your finger to your nose, or saying the alphabet, or counting backwards, as valid sobriety tests.

BREATH TESTING IS INACCURATE ? virtually all experts concede that one breath test alone is unreliable. Breath testing is subject to various inaccuracies, including a variance as much s /- 12.5%, non-specificity for ethanol, etc.

BOOKING ROOM VIDEOS ? Many police stations videotape suspects at the police station, where their speech is clear and their balance is perfect, in spite of police testimony to the contrary.

IN-SQUAD VIDEOS ? more and more often, the suspect?s driving and performance on field tests is being recorded; often contradicting police testimony.

FAILURE TO PROVIDE SPEEDY TRIAL ? If a client is not provided with a trial within a certain period of time, which varies between states, through delays of the court or prosecutor, the charges must be dismissed.

POLICE BLOOD TEST INACCURATE ? Many times, police blood testing fails to follow prescribed rules of testing, analysis, or preservation recommendations.

HOSPITAL BLOOD TEST INACCURATE ? Hospital blood tests overestimate a person?s true level by as much as 25% in healthy, uninjured individuals, and are not statistically reliable in severely injured persons.

BREATH TEST OPERATOR UNLICENSED ? Most states require a Breath Test Operator to possess a valid, unexpired operator?s license, or the breath test result is inadmissible.

BREATHALYZER MACHINE MALFUNCTIONS ? Most states specify that if there is a malfunction or repair of the breath test instrument within a certain period of time before or after a suspect?s breath test, the results of the suspect?s test are presumed invalid.

BREATH TEST OPERATOR LICENSE EXPIRED ? Most states require that a Breath Test Operator must possess an unexpired operator?s license, or the breath test result is inadmissible.

BREATH TEST DEVICE NOT APPROVED ? A breath-testing instrument must be listed on the Federal List of Approved Breath Evidential Instruments and the ISP approved list of Devices, or the results are inadmissible.

FAILURE TO PROVE DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE ? A defendant?s admission to driving, without more, does not prove a charge of driving under the influence.

INDEPENDENT WITNESSES ? Often times, independent witnesses to accidents, bartenders, hospital personnel and others can provide crucial evidence of the defendant?s sobriety.

FAILURE TO MIRANDIZE ? Prosecutors may not use as evidence the statements of a defendant in custody for a DUI when the police have failed to properly issue Miranda Warnings.

FIELD SOBRIETY TEST IMPROPERLY ADMINISTERED ? According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, improperly administered field tests are not valid evidence of intoxication.

OFFICER?S PRIOR DISCIPLINARY RECORD ? A police officer?s previous disciplinary record can be used to attack the officer?s credibility.

PORTABLE BREATH TEST INADMISSIBLE ? Most states prohibit the use of portable breath testing results as evidence at trial in a DUI case.

PORTABLE BREATH TEST IMPROPERLY ADMINISTERED ? The manufacturers of portable breath testing devices require a minimum of two tests to consider the results evidential in nature.

FAILURE TO CONDUCT OBSERVATION PERIOD ? Most states require that a driver be observed continuously for a minimum period, such as twenty minutes, prior to a breath test in order for the results to be considered admissible and valid.

EXPERT WITNESSES ? Expert witnesses are available to review the validity of breath tests, blood tests and field sobriety tests.

MEDICAL AND HEALTH PROBLEMS ? Medical problems with legs, arms, neck, back and eyes can affect the results of field sobriety tests. Further, other medical conditions can also affect the validity of breath test results.

BAD WEATHER ? Weather reports establishing high winds, low visibility, and other conditions are available to explain poor driving or poor balance.

LACK OF PROBABLE CAUSE TO ARREST ? A police officer must have specific and articulable facts to support any arrest for DUI, or the suspension will be reversed and the evidence suppressed at trial.

ILLEGAL SEARCH ? The police are prohibited from searching a person or the automobile for a minor traffic offense, and may not search a car without a driver?s consent or probable cause. Any evidence illegally obtained is not admissible in court.

PRIOR INCONSISTENT STATEMENTS BY POLICE OFFICERS ? Any statement made by a police officer, verbally, in police reports, or at previous court proceedings may be used to attack that officer?s credibility.

POST-DRIVING ABSORPTION OF ALCOHOL ? The prosecutor must prove the blood or breath alcohol at the time of driving. Recent consumption of alcohol just prior to driving will cause the test results to be higher than what the true level was when the person was operating the automobile.

INTERFERING SUBSTANCES ? Many items contain forms of alcohol, which may cause false results, such as asthma spray, cough drops, paints, fingernail polish. These items can cause the breath results to be invalid.

BREATH MACHINE NOT PROPERLY OPERATED ? The manufacturers of breath testing devices have specified protocols, which must be followed for a breath result to be valid. Failure to follow these requirements will result in improper readings.

FAILURES TO PRODUCE DISPATCH TAPES ? Most stops of vehicles are recorded on dispatch tapes, as well as recording police communications regarding an arrest of an individual. Failure to preserve such tapes upon request can cause all evidence, which could have been recorded to be suppressed.

MISLEADING STATEMENTS BY POLICE OFFICERS ? Any misleading statement by the police regarding the consequences of taking (or refusing) a blood, breath, or urine test will cause the suspension to be reversed and removed from the driver?s record.

STATUTES OF LIMITATIONS ? A misdemeanor charge of DUI must be filed within a certain period of time (which varies between states) of the date of offense, or the charges will be dismissed outright.

PRIVATE PROPERTY ? A person who has not driven the car on a public highway cannot be suspended for drunk driving.

FAILURE TO DISCLOSE EXPERTS ? The failure of the prosecutor to disclose the state?s expert(s) will cause those witnesses to be barred from testifying against the defendant.

LACTATE RINGERS ? When hospital staff use lactate ringers during the treatment of a patient, the hospital blood serum results will report falsely elevated, and therefore invalid, readings.

FAILURE TO RECORD CERTIFICATION TESTS ? the failure to include the value of the simulator solution used to test breath machines will cause the breath test results to be inadmissible in court against the driver.

FORCED BLOOD DRAWS ? In some states, the police may not take a blood test against the driver?s consent where there has not been an injury involved, or the result is inadmissible.

About the Author:

Donald J. Ramsell is the only Illinois DUI defense attorney to appear and argue on a DUI case before the United States Supreme Court in its entire 213 years of existence. http://www.1800dialdui.com

Ramsell also appears on ‘America’s Top DUI DWI Attorneys’, located at http://www.Americas-Top-DUI-Attorneys.com.

Donald J. Ramsell is the only Illinois DUI Attorney to become Certified in DUI Defense under the American Bar Association standards. The Illinois Supreme Court does not recognize certification in DUI Defense at the present time.

In 2004, the Chicago Sun Times identified Mr. Ramsell as one of the top 5 DUI Defense Attorneys in the State of Illinois.

In 2005, Ramsell was named by Chicago Magazine as an ‘Illinois Super Lawyer’, and was the only Illinois DUI Attorney to receivie this distinction.

In 2004, Ramsell was recognized by his peers as an Illinois Leading Lawyer in Criminal-DUI Defense by Crain Magazine. In 2006, Crain Magazine will also recognize Ramsell as an Illinois Leading Lawyer in Illinois Criminal Appeals.

If you have been arrested for DUI or DWI, it is obviously cause for concernbut not for despair. By hiring a quality defense lawyer who can protect your rights, there are a host of ways your case may be defendable. Thats why it would be a good idea to consider hiring one of Americas Top DUI and DWI Defense Attorneys now. Heres a few ways our lawyers may be able to win your case. Even if your case involves a drug, drugs, medicine or alcohol, they will help.

ILLEGAL STOP OF PERSON OR VEHICLE a driver cannot be stopped unless the officer has a reasonable and articulate basis to believe that a traffic law or other law has been violated. Similarly, a person cannot be seized unless a violation has occurred.

WEAVING INSIDE THE LANES IS NOT ILLEGAL weaving without crossing any lines is not a violation of the law, and a vehicle cannot be stopped for that reason.

ANONYMOUS REPORT OF DRUNK DRIVING a car cannot be stopped simply because an anonymous citizen reported that the driver was drunk.

STANDARD FIELD SOBRIETY TESTING IS INACCURATE in healthy individuals, the one-leg stand test is only 65% accurate, and the walk-and-turn test is only 68% accurate in determining if a person is under the influence. Those persons with injuries, medical conditions, 50 pounds or greater overweight, and 65 years or older cannot be validly judged by these tests.

NON-STANDARDIZED FIELD TESTS ARE INVALID neither the Federal Government (NHTSA) nor medical science considers touching your finger to your nose, or saying the alphabet, or counting backwards, as valid sobriety tests.

BREATH TESTING IS INACCURATE virtually all experts concede that one breath test alone is unreliable. Breath testing is subject to various inaccuracies, including a variance as much s /- 12.5%, non-specificity for ethanol, etc.

BOOKING ROOM VIDEOS Many police stations videotape suspects at the police station, where their speech is clear and their balance is perfect, in spite of police testimony to the contrary.

IN-SQUAD VIDEOS more and more often, the suspects driving and performance on field tests is being recorded; often contradicting police testimony.

FAILURE TO PROVIDE SPEEDY TRIAL If a client is not provided with a trial within a certain period of time, which varies between states, through delays of the court or prosecutor, the charges must be dismissed.

POLICE BLOOD TEST INACCURATE Many times, police blood testing fails to follow prescribed rules of testing, analysis, or preservation recommendations.

HOSPITAL BLOOD TEST INACCURATE Hospital blood tests overestimate a persons true level by as much as 25% in healthy, uninjured individuals, and are not statistically reliable in severely injured persons.

BREATH TEST OPERATOR UNLICENSED Most states require a Breath Test Operator to possess a valid, unexpired operators license, or the breath test result is inadmissible.

BREATHALYZER MACHINE MALFUNCTIONS Most states specify that if there is a malfunction or repair of the breath test instrument within a certain period of time before or after a suspects breath test, the results of the suspects test are presumed invalid.

BREATH TEST OPERATOR LICENSE EXPIRED Most states require that a Breath Test Operator must possess an unexpired operators license, or the breath test result is inadmissible.

BREATH TEST DEVICE NOT APPROVED A breath-testing instrument must be listed on the Federal List of Approved Breath Evidential Instruments and the ISP approved list of Devices, or the results are inadmissible.

FAILURE TO PROVE DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE A defendants admission to driving, without more, does not prove a charge of driving under the influence.

INDEPENDENT WITNESSES Often times, independent witnesses to accidents, bartenders, hospital personnel and others can provide crucial evidence of the defendants sobriety.

FAILURE TO MIRANDIZE Prosecutors may not use as evidence the statements of a defendant in custody for a DUI when the police have failed to properly issue Miranda Warnings.

FIELD SOBRIETY TEST IMPROPERLY ADMINISTERED According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, improperly administered field tests are not valid evidence of intoxication.

OFFICERS PRIOR DISCIPLINARY RECORD A police officers previous disciplinary record can be used to attack the officers credibility.

PORTABLE BREATH TEST INADMISSIBLE Most states prohibit the use of portable breath testing results as evidence at trial in a DUI case.

PORTABLE BREATH TEST IMPROPERLY ADMINISTERED The manufacturers of portable breath testing devices require a minimum of two tests to consider the results evidential in nature.

FAILURE TO CONDUCT OBSERVATION PERIOD Most states require that a driver be observed continuously for a minimum period, such as twenty minutes, prior to a breath test in order for the results to be considered admissible and valid.

EXPERT WITNESSES Expert witnesses are available to review the validity of breath tests, blood tests and field sobriety tests.

MEDICAL AND HEALTH PROBLEMS Medical problems with legs, arms, neck, back and eyes can affect the results of field sobriety tests. Further, other medical conditions can also affect the validity of breath test results.

BAD WEATHER Weather reports establishing high winds, low visibility, and other conditions are available to explain poor driving or poor balance.

LACK OF PROBABLE CAUSE TO ARREST A police officer must have specific and articulable facts to support any arrest for DUI, or the suspension will be reversed and the evidence suppressed at trial.

ILLEGAL SEARCH The police are prohibited from searching a person or the automobile for a minor traffic offense, and may not search a car without a drivers consent or probable cause. Any evidence illegally obtained is not admissible in court.

PRIOR INCONSISTENT STATEMENTS BY POLICE OFFICERS Any statement made by a police officer, verbally, in police reports, or at previous court proceedings may be used to attack that officers credibility.

POST-DRIVING ABSORPTION OF ALCOHOL The prosecutor must prove the blood or breath alcohol at the time of driving. Recent consumption of alcohol just prior to driving will cause the test results to be higher than what the true level was when the person was operating the automobile.

INTERFERING SUBSTANCES Many items contain forms of alcohol, which may cause false results, such as asthma spray, cough drops, paints, fingernail polish. These items can cause the breath results to be invalid.

BREATH MACHINE NOT PROPERLY OPERATED The manufacturers of breath testing devices have specified protocols, which must be followed for a breath result to be valid. Failure to follow these requirements will result in improper readings.

FAILURES TO PRODUCE DISPATCH TAPES Most stops of vehicles are recorded on dispatch tapes, as well as recording police communications regarding an arrest of an individual. Failure to preserve such tapes upon request can cause all evidence, which could have been recorded to be suppressed.

MISLEADING STATEMENTS BY POLICE OFFICERS Any misleading statement by the police regarding the consequences of taking (or refusing) a blood, breath, or urine test will cause the suspension to be reversed and removed from the drivers record.

STATUTES OF LIMITATIONS A misdemeanor charge of DUI must be filed within a certain period of time (which varies between states) of the date of offense, or the charges will be dismissed outright.

PRIVATE PROPERTY A person who has not driven the car on a public highway cannot be suspended for drunk driving.

FAILURE TO DISCLOSE EXPERTS The failure of the prosecutor to disclose the states expert(s) will cause those witnesses to be barred from testifying against the defendant.

LACTATE RINGERS When hospital staff use lactate ringers during the treatment of a patient, the hospital blood serum results will report falsely elevated, and therefore invalid, readings.

FAILURE TO RECORD CERTIFICATION TESTS the failure to include the value of the simulator solution used to test breath machines will cause the breath test results to be inadmissible in court against the driver.

FORCED BLOOD DRAWS In some states, the police may not take a blood test against the drivers consent where there has not been an injury involved, or the result is inadmissible.

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