Having a Fever and/or Cough Drops and Effect on the Breathalyzer
Did you know that driving while having a fever or using cough drops could potentially cause you to be charged with driving under the influence (DUI)? While that question may sound unlikely, both of these factors can artificially elevate your blood alcohol content (BAC) reading.
Breathalyzers measure the alcohol in your breath in order to calculate the amount of alcohol in your lungs. Assuming that your breath-to-blood ratio is 1:2100, the machine takes the particles of alcohol in your breath and multiples it by 2100 to come up with your BAC. However, a fever can cause you to deviate from the 1:2100 average.
Breathalyzer machines operate under the assumption that your body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of the test. If your temperature is as little as 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit over this number, your BAC reading may be increased by almost 7%! The higher your temperature is, the more inaccurate your reading will be.
Some cough drops contain alcohol. If the alcohol lingers in your mouth, or if you chewed the cough drop and pieces are stuck between your teeth, the breathalyzer may assume that the alcohol from the cough drop is actually being exhaled from your deep lung air. Simply consuming a cough drop might not lead to a BAC over the legal limit, but it could push you over the limit if you had a few drinks earlier.
In Georgia DUI case, the breathalyzer test result is often the cornerstone of the prosecution’s case against the defendant. Considering all of the things that can affect the BAC reading on the machine, you should definitely fight your drunk-driving charges, even if you tested over the legal limit of .08%. A trained DUI lawyer can evaluate the circumstances of your test to determine if a factor other than the consumption of alcohol could have artificially raised your reading.
To learn more about how fever or cough drops can affect your breathalyzer test, please contact our law firm today for a complimentary case evaluation.
