Breathalyzer in St. Louis

DWI Attorney for St. Louis, MO

When an officer suspects that a person may have been drinking there are a number of tools that they can use in their assessment. One of these is the breathalyzer test and it the results of it will often be included as evidence in the case. It is a necessary that you turn to a St. Louis criminal lawyer immediately so that they can begin building a defensive strategy for you immediately against a DWI.

A breathalyzer is a type of device that can be used to assess a person that is believed to have alcohol in their system. How it works is by reading the level of alcohol on a person's breath and giving an estimate as to the level of alcohol in the blood stream. It is not exact and should not be viewed as such. The breath test is breathed into and due to its convenience it is the type of chemical test that officers will use more frequently when on the field. For those who are age 21 and over, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content (BAC) level of .08 percent or higher. A breathalyzer may be used to see if a suspect is at or above this limit.

What if I failed a breath test?

Many people fail breath tests and believe that they no longer have a defense. Not all cases are black and white and there are a number of reasons why a breath test should not stand in court. A common reason is that the devices are known to be faulty. They are supposed to receive maintenance on an ongoing basis to make sure that they are functioning correctly and are up to standards. This does not always happen and a malfunctioning device may be taken onto the field by an officer. Another reason is if the officer administers the test incorrectly themselves. The team at the firm understands the issues that exist with breath tests and have successfully fought on behalf of their clients that are accused. Call now for a free consultation and to retain persistent defense!