• Georgia Accidents & Injuries
• Georgia Boating Law
• Georgia Criminal Defense
• Georgia DUI
• Georgia Safety Ideas

• Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Law
• DUI Arrest Defense Attorneys
• Criminal Defense Attorneys
• Divorce and Family Law
• Wills, Estate Planning and Georgia Probate
• Business Law and Business Litigation Attorneys
• Landlord Tenant Lawyer
• Eminent Domain, Condemnation

Georgia DUI Roadside Breath Test Equipment: PBT – Portable Breath Test

View More DUI Related Videos

It is important to understand how law enforcement uses new technology. Our Georgia DUI Lawyers own and use PBT‘s in order to better understand how police use them during a DUI sobriety check.

If used properly by police, PBT‘s can be helpful tools.

However, if used improperly, they can cause a law enforcement officer to not follow his Law Enforcement DUI training and not properly evaluate a driver for potential DUI arrest.

Even many officers do not realize that PBT‘s are not admissible for the amount of the BAC (Breath/ Blood Alcohol Concentration), but only for a reading of positive or negative for alcohol. This is because the PBT does not have many safeguards regarding calibration and residual mouth alcohol detection.

The manufacturer and the federal government’s procedures warn law enforcement officers about residual mouth alcohol and the need to have a driver not blow into a PBT until 20 minutes have passed from the driver’s last consumption of alcohol. A perfectly safe driver with residual mouth alcohol can register a high number on a PBT.

Additionally, may experiments have shown that some substances such as breath spray and even bread can cause residual mouth alcohol. Likewise, people with certain dental work, like dentures and bridges, are more susceptible to longer periods of residual mouth alcohol.

A PBT is not a license for law enforcement to forget their training and take shortcuts in an arrest. Law enforcement officers should use a PBT in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration Standard Field Sobriety Tests (HGN, Walk & Turn, One Leg Stand). Unfortunately, many officers either do not know this or simply cut corners in their arrest decision.

At Breakfield & Associates, Attorneys, Georgia DUI Attorney, John Breakfield welcomes anyone with any DUI Portable Breath Test or Criminal Defense questions to Call or Email him. Please remember that all criminal defense initial consultations are free of charge.

About the author: John Breakfield is a Georgia DUI Attorney with Breakfield & Associates, Attorneys in Gainesville, Georgia and handles matters regarding DWI /  DUI and Criminal Defense.   The law office of Breakfield & Associates, Attorneys can assist clients throughout Georgia including:  Hall County (Gainesville, Oakwood, Flowery Branch), White County (Cleveland), Barrow County (Auburn, Bethlehem, Braselton, Carl, Statham, Winder), Lumpkin County (Dahlonega), Gwinnett County (Buford, Duluth, Sugar Hill, Lawrenceville), Jackson County (Braselton, Commerce, Hoschton, Jefferson, Pendergrass), Dawson County (Dawsonville), Habersham County (Demorest, Cornelia), Clarke County (Athens) and all of Northeast Georgia.

This video blog should not be considered nor relied upon as legal advice since it is only intended for general overview and informational purposes. Please consult with a Georgia DUI attorney on your specific situation in order to determine an appropriate legal course of action.

Back to Articles