Category: Blood Alcohol Tests
Warrantless DUI testing to get Supreme Court review
Tennessee law currently presumes that if you get arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and are asked by authorities to take one of various types of blood alcohol tests, you must comply. If you refuse, you could face serious consequences for violating the implied consent law. And, according to the statute, authorities are
Science of estimating earlier drunkenness worth questioning
If you choose to drink, hopefully you don’t drink and drive. The risks that anyone in Tennessee faces from such behavior are something that is hammered home on a regular basis. If you drink and drive, you pose a threat to yourself and others on the road. Social outrage at the injuries and loss of
States challenged to find ways to test for drugged drivers
Medical marijuana is beginning to be accepted in more and more states. Not in Tennessee. In some states even recreational use of marijuana is now allowed. Not in Tennessee. If you are stopped and are suspected of driving impaired by marijuana, you could be arrested and charged. The movement toward legalization of marijuana means that
The magic numbers of DUI
Many police officers are very professional and work hard to perform their job well. But, in the real world, some are better than others. When a driver is stopped in Chattanooga on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, the officer can carefully note the condition of the driver, their behavior, their competency in
Will cars soon come with an ignition interlock as standard?
Stopping people from driving drunk is difficult goal to reach. Alcohol is a permitted substance for those over the legal drinking age in Tennessee, and while the law prohibits drivers from operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content (BAC) greater than 0.08, thousands of drivers do it and thousands are arrested every year. Some
Trusting the black box
In many places, we encounter what is sometimes referred to as “black box” technology. This type of technology has become more and more commonplace, and with it, the need to trust without really understanding. Take an automobile. At one time, the basics of engine technology were so straightforward that any backyard mechanic could work on
Accuracy of Breathalyzers called into question
Law enforcement in most states, including Tennessee, rely on breath testing equipment to assist in determining whether a driver they have pulled over for a DUI. The machines appear to be the perfect device to quickly determine blood alcohol content (BAC) of a driver, providing scientific evidence to present in court and obtain a conviction.
Is the TBI DUI testing process a profit center?
We have to have a lot of trust for law enforcement. From the nature of many arrests, where in some cases, the arresting officer may be the only witness, to relying on lab tests performed by state crime labs, the average citizen has to just accept that police, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) agents and
Phone breath testing apps: are they any good?
You may have seen them on people’s phones. You may have even thought about buying one yourself. But you wonder, do they really work? Could they tell you with enough accuracy whether you are too close to Tennessee’s legal limit of 0.08 Blood Alcohol Content? Are they good enough to prevent you from being stopped
Tennessee court demands warrant for DUI blood draws
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the people from unreasonable searches by police. The Amendment has provided ample number of cases that have litigated the issue of the reasonableness of a search. What is most remarkable about many of these cases is the refusal by law enforcement to avail themselves of warrants for