How accurate are the machines?
Hudson said his machines use the same technology as that used in the breathalyzers police officers have, and he tries to get the devices calibrated as often as the ones used by police. Local police officials say while they have heard of such machines over the years, they are not sure of their accuracy, nor their efficiency. “These machines could provide false security for people who are drinking,” said Fullerton traffic Sgt. Steve Williams. “Say someone blows a .07 and they might think they’re OK to drive, but they don’t understand that the body takes time to metabolize the alcohol and their blood alcohol level will rise. So in half an hour, their blood alcohol can be .09.” And even if you blow a .07, you can still get arrested for a D.U.I. if your driving is deemed impaired, said Williams. In Newport Beach, Rudy’s Sports Bar and Grill also has a coin-operated alcohol breath-testing machine, but “we don’t know what the reliability of those things are,” said Sgt. Jon Lewis, spokesman fo
