August 18, 2006
DUI Laws Unfair to Women? - Detailed Scientific Proof
Defense lawyers frequently argue that tests used by the police to measure blood alcohol levels in women are flawed because most of these tests are calibrated using a "average" sized male and because there is some scientifice evidence that women metabolize alcohol differently than men.
Scientific studies in both Italy and in Cananda suggest that there are additional differences between alcohol metabolism that raise even more questions about the validity of the tests and the testing equipment used by police.
One of the more interesting findings of the Canadian study suggests that birth control pills produce an enzyme that most Breathalyzer test machines will interpret as blood alcohol content. You can read more about this study in an article entitled "Do DUI Laws Discriminate Against Women?"
If you use oral contraceptives, make sure to tell me so we can discuss whether this factor might be an element in your defense.
Technorati Tags: women and DUI, differences between men and women in DUI cases, birth control pills and DUI, georgia dui
Filed under Intoxilyzer 5000 issues, Trial issues, dui defense georgia, georgia dui lawyer by 4GeorgiaDUI Blog
Comments on DUI Laws Unfair to Women? - Detailed Scientific Proof »
larry @ 7:52 pm
The issue is not whether contraceptives or anything else raise the level of alcohol tested but whether a woman or any person has a high enough alcohol level to interfere with or impair with safely driving a vehicle.
If one person ate while they drank and another one did not eat while they drank (before or after) one may be drunker than the other. A taller person my show different levels than shoter people but the standard agreed on in a country or state is what is agreeed as a level that is or approaches danger.
You can get arrested for using legal and illegal drugs that impair operating a vehicle, not even alcohol. In the end, its still a judgment call - the device that measures how much alchol is present is one standard used. That women are smaller or have a different metabolism or take drugs (contraceptives) which affect their stated alcohol level means that is the effect on them.
The argument made is trying to say if men can drink more and still not make the cut, then why not women. Its's the same stupid argument women make about equality like they have no differences in biology or approach to life.
ca dui lawyer @ 2:11 am
It will be a big problem for the women.
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