Phoenix has joined other Arizona cities in the movement to rely on blood tests to identify drunk driving suspects. Advocates say that blood tests are more accurate than breath tests for determining blood alcohol content. The Phoenix Police Department has set a date of 2010 to accept only blood based evidence in DUI court cases.
Arizona DUI defense attorneys have long argued the problems associated with breath samples for determining a legal threshold in drunk driving cases. Aside from equipment calibration and maintenance issues, discrepancies in readings can occur through incorrect administration of the test. As recently as the year 2000, nearly 1,400 Arizona DUI cases were dismissed in Phoenix and Glendale alone due to legal challenges to the machine results. To complicate the issue, a new Arizona law requires the installation of an ignition interlock device for everyone convicted of DUI, even first time offenders. With the consequences so high, the need for accuracy becomes even more important.
While both blood and breath tests can gauge a motorist
