A Washington State driver who gets pulled over for suspicion of DUI will often take a breathalyzer test after being arrested.  The breathalyzers are calibrated with a special solution created at the state toxicology lab.  A couple of years ago, it was discovered that a manager was falsifying the certifications and this information was widely used by defense attorneys on behalf of their Washington DUI clients.

New procedures have been installed at the lab and it is now only 1 of 4 programs to be accredited by the American Society of Crime Lab Directors, though many WA State criminal defense lawyers remain skeptical of the lab’s procedures and trustworthiness.

A deputy prosecutor in Snohomish County, Charlie Blackman, claims that the lab accreditation will be helpful to prosecute Everett DUI cases.

Breathalyzer tests are not always accurate.  There is a “margin of error” that is widely acknowledge, even in the scientific community.  This can result in a test being off by up to .02% on either the high or low side of a sample.

It is anticipated that next year new breathalyzer machines will be purchased.  These new breathalyzer machines claim to be able to calculate for the “margin of error”.  Once again, however, many Washington drunk driving attorneys are skeptical and plan on vigorously challenging the new machine’s accuracy.