NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH SIMCOE POLICE
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INNISFIL - There are several affordable "personal breathalyzers" available on the market. However, a 29-year-old Bradford man found out the hard way that you get what you pay for.
After consuming alcohol earlier in the evening on Thursday Mar. 8, the man tested his own breath prior to driving. Around 9:10 p.m. the male party found himself stopped in a RIDE program on the 10th Sideroad of Innisfil.
Officers detected an odour of alcohol on the mans breath and conducted a roadside breath test with an approved screening device. The test result indicated the drivers blood alcohol was in the warn range category.
After the test the driver conducted a test with his device in front of officers. The device indicated an inaccurate reading. Officers conducted two additional checks of the man's breath over the next 19 minutes confirming the results of their first test.
This is the second incident involving personal breath testing devices. In 2013 after testing her breath with her own device South Simcoe Police arrested a female from York Region after she was found driving in Innisfil with a blood alcohol level above 80 mgs.
There are only a handful of devices police rely on to accurately test a drivers breath. Prior to being approved for use in Canada these devices are tested by several independent adjacencies including the Center of Forensic Sciences to be proven reliable and accurate.
Save yourself the false sense of security. Call a cab, a friend, a taxi or a designated driver service. Relying on a device purchased online puts your licence and safety at risk along with road users.
Police Services have an extensive quality assurance program in place to ensure that breath testing equipment remains accurate and calibrated. This involves the use of expensive scientific instruments and solutions, not normally available to the public.
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