BAC test results are critical to the prosecution of a DUI case. “BAC” stands for Blood Alcohol Content, the percentage of alcohol to be found in your blood. The legal limit for alcohol is .08% in California. However make no mistake, if law enforcement pulls you over for suspicious driving you could be arrested for DUI with a BAC lower than the legal limit. Many clients feel hopeless after taking BAC tests, but the science and methodologies of chemical tests are regularly refuted in court.
There are three types of BAC testing: breath, blood, and urine.
Breath tests are the most commonly administered using hand-held devices called breathalyzers. Breathalyzers work by multiplying a sample of the alcohol found in your breath and multiplying that number by a ratio of 2100:1. This ratio is the average for an adult, but everyone’s body ratio is not 2100:1 at every given point in the day. Mouth alcohol from your saliva can also contaminate such a reading. Depending on your medical history, you may not even be a candidate for breath testing, challenging the validity of BAC results the prosecution attempts to use.
Blood tests are thought to be the “full proof” method of BAC testing, but these test results can be invalidated too if not taken while following specific protocol.
Urine tests are the least common, but are still administered on occasion.
Even if your BAC level reading is above the legal limit in any of these three tests, your DUI arrest does not automatically mean you will be convicted. And even if you are convicted, you do not have to go to jail with the Los Angeles DUI lawyer by your side. Contact us today for an immediate consultation.