When you are arrested for DUI, the police must give you at least one test to determine your Blood Alcohol Content. This number is the measure the percentage of alcohol to be found in your blood and is important to the validity of the charges against you.
There are three primary forms of BAC testing: breath, blood, and urine.
Breath tests are usually given at the scene of a traffic stop using a small device known as a breathalyzer. In the state of Colorado, police officials use the Intoxylizer 500EN, a machine that works by multiplying a sample of the alcohol found in your breath and multiplying it by a standardized ratio. The legal problem with breathalyzers is that they are rarely accurate. Depending on your medical history, you may not even be eligible for breath testing, invalidating any BAC results the prosecution attempts to use.
Blood tests are generally thought of as a more accurate method of BAC testing. But these test results can be invalidated too if not taken under strict protocol. Urine tests are the least common, but still administered either by police request or the request of the arrestee.
The legal limit of alcohol is .08%, but even if your BAC level reading is above this limit your DUI arrest does not have to result in a conviction. The fact is that the science of these BAC tests is regularly contested and defeated in court.
If you or your loved one has been arrested for DUI in the Colorado Springs area, contact the law offices of the Colorado Springs DUI attorney today.