Breathalyzers

Alcohol Breathalyzers

Best way to beat an alcohol breathalyzer test is...

to not drink and drive. Don't take the chance of driving impaired, it's just not worth it.
If you are going to drink before you drive, use a qualityalcohol breathalyzer to make sure that you are not impaired.
Don't rely on bar gimmicks and unreliable alcohol breath tests, purchase a quality alcohol breathalyzer that you can count on.
If you make sure the batteries are fresh and the breathalyzer has been serviced regularly, you will have years of trouble free, accurate testing.

How they work

Alcohol breathalyzers work by testing the BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of the breath sample. It measures how many grams of alcohol there are in your bloodstream. The current legal limit for Canada is 0.08, which means the maximum is 0.08 g/100ml or 80 mg/100ml. Most of the time however, the BAC is referred to as 0.08% or 0.05% etc.

Alcohol breathalyzers work by testing the deep lung air sample for the concentration of alcohol. Alcohol is not digested when you consume it, it is absorbed. The alcohol enters your bloodstream and is present in every organ in your body, including your lungs. As the blood travels through the lungs some of the alcohol moves across the membrane of the lung’s alveoli (air sacks). When the alcohol is exposed to the air in your lungs, it evaporates and is mixed in with the air, waiting to be exhaled.

Through experimentation, there has been a correlation found between the ratio of vaporized alcohol in the air sample and the alcohol content in the bloodstream. It has been accepted that there is a ratio of 2,100:1 (air volume to blood volume).

Using this ratio, a properly calibrated alcohol breathalyzer can accurately determine a person BAC by air sample alone, very seldom are blood tests done in order to test BAC.

Changes to roadside alcohol breathalyzer testing in Canada

Recent legislature has implemented a warning citation for a 0.05% BAC, which is far more stringent than the previous 0.08% BAC limit.

Here is an outline of Bill C-376

In addition to the BAC limit itself, the 0.05% BAC offence would differ from the existing
0.08% BAC offence in three significant ways:

• First, the 0.05% BAC offense would result in a ticket. The fine will vary based on which county / municipality you are in. But it is going to be at least $300 and your license may be suspended for 45 days.
• The second offense will be a more costly ticket, likely in the $600 dollar range and up to a 90 day suspension of your license.
• The third offense within a 2 year time span (records are erased after 2 years) may result in a criminal charge, a hefty fine and a long term license suspension.

The proposed 0.05% BAC offence is designed to deter impaired driving without being too harsh or creating additional workload on the courts. Moreover, the option of pleading guilty without having to go to court may discourage accused persons from needlessly challenging the charges.