Georgia Inaccurate Breathalyzer

Even if you have never been arrested for driving under the influence (DUI), you probably know that Georgia police officers often administer breath tests in order to determine a driver’s level of intoxication. Often referred to as breathalyzers, these tests are designed to determine a suspected DUI offender’s blood alcohol content (BAC) by analyzing the amount of alcohol present on his or her breath. Since the results of these tests determine whether a driver should be arrested or not, you may assume they are fairly reliable—after all, if officers rely on them to catch drunk drivers, they must be, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case, as each year thousands of drivers are falsely arrested for DUI based on Georgia inaccurate breathalyzer results.

Although the term “breathalyzer” is used as a synonym for breath tests in general, the word actually refers to a particular model of breath testing device. While there are dozens of these products on the market, each state has its own laws specifying which particular device must be used by their law enforcement team. In Georgia, the device used by officers is the Intoxilyzer 5000.

It is important to know that, despite its rather scary-sounding name, the Intoxilyzer 5000 is one of the least reliable breath testing devices used by law enforcement. In fact, many states have discontinued using this particular model due to its frequent inaccuracies—a tendency that is often triggered by acid reflux disease and other gastrointestinal disorders, as well as using breath mints, mouthwash, and similar substances.

Across the United States, it is illegal for drivers to operate a vehicle with a BAC of 0.08% or higher. Because of this limit, any driver who has a BAC above this amount can be arrested and charged with driving under the influence, even if he or she shows no signs of impairment. Therefore, it is extremely important for your Georgia breathalyzer results to accurately reflect your blood alcohol content.

With the Intoxilyzer 5000’s known errors, it’s unwise for anyone accused of DUI to blindly trust the device’s BAC calculation, as many Georgia drivers are incorrectly charged with the offense due to inaccurate results—and you could be one of them.

To find out if your breath test results are reliable, contact attorneys Frank Gomez & William Head today. With over a decade of experience in DUI defense, we are well-versed in the science of breath testing and knows all too well just how inaccurate Georgia’s breathalyzer can be.

Let the Law Firm of Frank Gomez & William Head review your test results for potential errors. Contact us immediately for a free, no-obligation consultation of your case and uncover the best defense strategy for your situation.

Call Us Today: (770) 420-8289

Receive a Free Case Evaluation Today!