[Breathalizers in practical use by the Hamburg police].

Abstract

The pretest, which measures the alcohol content in one's breath, will remain necessary within the field of police work regardless as to whether this process will be recognized in the future as a means of reaffirming existing evidence. Inaccurate measurements, especially those which are lower than should be in the area of 0.08% and 0.11%, lead to inaccurate rulings, which in turn, directly influence traffic safety. After examining 682 breathalizer measurements, the Hamburg police department released the following information: even after having replaced the older Dräger AT 7310 with the newer AT 7410 breathalizer, larger discrepencies than those that had appeared in earlier examinations still occurred. There are too many inaccurate measurements which, in actuality, are overwhelmingly a result of the conditions surrounding police use of breathalizers. More detailed instructions describing proper application of these devices are, at present, more suitable for increasing the accuracy of the breathalizer measurements than the technical improvement of the instruments would be.