An Introduction to the Intoxilyzer 5000

When suspects are pulled over for suspicion of DWI in Texas, law enforcement will ask the suspect to perform a series of field sobriety tests. When the suspect fails these field sobriety tests, he or she will then be asked to submit to a chemical test, which can be in the form of a breath test, blood test or in more rare cases, a urine test. In most DWI stops, the chemical test of choice is a breath test.

The state of Texas uses a breath testing device called the Intoxilyzer 5000. The machine is manufactured by CMI, which is a corporation based out of Kentucky. CMI has produced a newer, improved model called the Intoxilyzer 8000, however Texas does not use this model, and Texas still uses the older Intoxilyzer 5000 model. This machine most certainly can be accurate, however, like any machine; it is prone to error, imperfections or inadequate performance due to poor maintenance.

If you were asked to breathe into a breath testing device at your DWI stop, it was an Intoxilyzer 5000 machine. You might have heard this device referred to as a breathalyzer. This machine is the predominant testing device used in the United States to determine a person’s blood alcohol concentration. This machine uses technology based on infrared absorption. The suspect under suspicion for DWI will breathe into a breath tube which leads to the breath chamber. There is an infrared light inside the device that causes the alcohol molecules to absorb light at a particular frequency. A computer within the machine will then make a calculation based on finite details in the light emitted and received, until it calculates a value which is compared to 0.08.

The Intoxilyzer 5000 is not a perfect machine. There are a number of ways that a seasoned DWI attorney can call into question the accuracy of the breathalyzer or Intoxilyzer. Improper maintenance, body temperature or fever, inhaled chemicals with similar characteristics to ethyl alcohol and breath temperature are all examples of variables that can result in a misreading on a breathalyzer machine.

DWI Attorney in Plano

If you were arrested for DWI, you owe it to yourself to contact a Plano DWI lawyer from the Zendeh Del Law Firm. We are fully prepared to challenge any evidence against you in an effort to help you obtain a reduction in the DWI charges against you.

Contact a Plano DWI attorney from our firm today for a free consultation.