Some of the most common blood alcohol testing methods available are alcohol breath tests and blood sampling. Alcohol breath tests are the most common practice. It uses breathalyzers to quickly determine the amount of alcohol within an individual’s exhaled breath; then calculate it into a corresponding blood alcohol content (BAC) level. This form of testing is effective and typically used by law enforcers and medical professionals; this is to help them maintain safer roads and provide appropriate medicine applications.
A driver must always keep a BAC of under 0.05% to be legally allowed to drive; it is illegal and is punishable by law to go above the limit. The BAC can be used to determine one’s functional (motor) and mental state, which can then translate to their ability to perform basic tasks like driving. A high BAC would most likely mean that an individual may be suffering from moderate awareness, coordination, and judgment alcohol-induced impairments.
Blood Alcohol Testing Methods
Despite being one of the more accurate blood alcohol testing methods, blood sampling is still rarely used. It is mainly because of how intensive and lengthy the process of taking and processing blood samples is. Being a more invasive method, this form of testing requires a certified sample collector to collect the blood and a registered laboratory to process the sample. On the other hand, a breath alcohol test is more common because of how quick breathalyzers are for processing the results. Results, depending on the quality of the device, may take about 5 seconds. Even personal devices, like BACtrack breathalyzers, take only between 3 to 10 seconds to process their breath samples.
Other than the blood alcohol testing methods, there are still different ways to monitor one’s alcohol usage. Urine testing can monitor both drug and alcohol usage, but it is more for drug testing. Despite having a more straightforward form of sample collection than blood sampling, the accuracy of urine tests may sometimes be questionable as some results are significantly higher or lower when compared to the actual BAC. The accuracy and portability of breath testing devices outperform urine testing and are one of the main reasons professionals prefer breathalyzers over any other form of testing. Personal breathalyzers, like the BACtrack breathalyzers that are as small as keychains, are even more portable now. It allows its users to have their devices ready and perform self-tests more frequently constantly.
BACtrack Breathalyzers
There is no question about the reliability of breathalyzers nowadays. It is one of the primary assessment tools law enforcers and courts use to determine the severity of one’s drink driving charges. Blood alcohol testing methods made for personal use also have police-grade technology, which can provide users with accurate results to help prevent them from facing DUI charges.
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