As a resident of Illinois who has been pulled over on suspicion of driving while under the influence, you are likely going to have to deal with being administered tests that will be used to determine what your blood alcohol content (BAC) level is. Though some of these tests can be more accurate than others, all of them have the potential to be incorrect, which is an important thing to note if it will be used against you in court.
Human error prevents any blood alcohol detection method from ever being one hundred percent accurate. When it comes to blood tests used to determine alcohol levels, human error can factor into a number of steps in the process. For example, blood can be contaminated or left out for too long. This can cause a falsely high BAC level to be shown. You may even end up getting someone else’s test results if a lab is too overworked or understaffed.
Additionally, due to the amount of time it takes for alcohol to show up in the blood stream, it is entirely possible that your BAC level is higher when you get your blood drawn than it was while you were driving. The difference can be large enough that you were driving under the legal limit, but your BAC level rose above it after you were out of the vehicle.
If you are curious to learn more about DUI related crimes, take a look at our web page on DUI defense. You can read more about the laws in your state or city, how DUI related charges are handled, and what penalties you may face if convicted.