When you are pulled over by an officer on the suspicion of Driving Under the Influence, you are not required to take the screening test at the scene. You are, however, required to take a blood or breath test once you are taken to the station.sAs with all types of officer administrated tests, including the breath test,sthere are common errors that arise.
Breath tests are not preferred by law enforcement and prosecutors because they are not a direct analysis. This means that they do not give a direct measure of the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) but have to be taken as a reading of the breath and then converted to the BAC.sThe reading derived from a Breath Test is not always accurate.sMany factors can alter the results yielding inaccurate evidence.
One such factor is temperature. The machine must be adjusted to accommodate its surrounding temperature and the temperature of the subject; otherwise the reading will be inaccurate.sAdditionally, breathing patterns have an effect on the reading.sStudies show that hyperventilation or vigorous exercise can reduce the BAC reading by up to 32%.sIn contrast, holding one’s breath can increase the reading by 25%.