Police in Iowa City had more than they could handle on their hands recently when they came across an intoxicated driver, and found that he was so drunk that the breathalyzer was unable to measure his exact blood alcohol level.
Police were alerted to this driver by a woman, who reported to police that she had been given a lift by a 28-year-old motorist over the weekend. According to her, the car veered off the road, and crashed into a stop sign. Police officers took action on the complaint and went to the motorist’s home. When they reached the house, they found that he was severely intoxicated. He showed signs of intoxication, and was alone in his basement, talking to imaginary people. However, he claimed to the officers that he had only had just a couple of beers, several hours before the crash.
According to police reports, the man was simply too intoxicated to even complete a field sobriety test. When they administered the breathalyzer he registered at .467 on the skin. That is close to 6 times the maximum legally permissible blood alcohol level. After the breathalyzer flashed the .467 message, it returned an error message meaning that the level was simply too high to be registered for the.
The man was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Although the details of this particular case are unclear, the fact is that breathalyzer defects do contribute to hundreds of inaccurate DUI test results every year. It's very important that the breathalyzer be technically accurate, and provide an accurate reading. In fact, inaccuracy of the breathalyzer reading can be used as a legal defense for persons arrested for DUI.
