Published on:

Rising Blood Alcohol Defense in Los Angeles DUI Cases

Rising blood alcohol is a very viable defense in Southern California DUI cases. Before a person is arrested for a Los Angeles DUI, they are usually given what is commonly known as field sobriety tests. After the tests are completed, the officer often will ask the DUI driver to take what is known as a preliminary alcohol screening (PAS) test. This is a little handle held device used to measure the blood alcohol content of the driver.

In the old days, this test was not admissible in a court of law. Changes in the evidence code and the accuracy of the device has now allowed DUI prosecutors to use the PAS test in their case before a jury. After a person is arrested for a DUI they are usually taken to the police station or the a hospital for a chemical test. The test can be either a DUI blood test, or a DUI breath test. These tests also measure the amount of alcohol in the driver’s blood.

Some people get very scared when they see the results of a the blood test. in many cases the PAS test result is lower then the blood or breath test taken at the police station. Once the test results are known to be 0.08% or greater,then the person is going to be charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in violation of CVC 23152(a). In most cases the person will also be charged with CVC 23152(b), having a blood alcohol level in excess of 0.08%.

The issue that now arises is what was the person’s blood alcohol level at the time they were driving. He know that the results of the PAS test are lower then the secondary tests. Therefore, the blood alcohol level is rising and the results may not be the BAC level at the time they were driving. This theory is based upon the scientifically proven rising blood alcohol DUI defense. Top notch Los Angeles DUI defense attorneys know how to use this evidence to the benefit of their clients.

Most experts say that a shoot of alcohol or a beer take approximately 50 minutes to be fully absorbed into the blood stream. So the trick for the prosecution is to try to get expert evidence to determine what the BAC level was at the time of driving, not when the test are taken at the police station.

The argument then becomes, if a person has a BAC just over 0.08%, then they may not have violated the law when they were actually driving.


If you have been arrested for a DUI in Los Angeles or you are under investigation for driving under the influence in Southern California, or are if you have been arrested for a Pasadena DUI, please contact Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Michael Kraut for 24/7 assistance by phone at (323) 464-6453 or toll free at (888) 334-6344 or online.

Contact Information