Georgia DUI Tyndall Effect
Air bags have been known to save lives. It’s a shame then that they’re also sending innocent drivers to jail. It’s called the Tyndall Effect and if you were arrested for DUI and were hit by a deployed airbag, this information is for you.
You may have heard of it before, but the Tyndall Effect is named after scientist John Tyndall. He studied how light is influenced when it comes into contact with different particles. You’ve probably seen the Tyndall Effect before. When a car’s headlights shine through fog, the light gets scattered. Another example of this effect is when light tries to pass through trees.
How can the Tyndall Effect have changed my breath test results?
Air bags are packed with a powder that is used for preservation purposes. People who are in accidents where air bags have been deployed can be coughing up this powder for hours. It gets into their nose and mouths upon impact.
If you submitted to a breath test after the accident because police suspected you of drinking and driving, the powder that is in your lungs can alter your blood alcohol content reading the machine picks up on. This is because the breath test machine works on infrared laser technology. Light is actually passing through the alcohol on your breath to produce a reading. If this powdery mixture that gets into your lungs scatters the light when you breathe into the machine, how can your blood alcohol content test be considered accurate?
In addition to the Tyndall Effect, there are many other factors that can distort a breath test reading. If you have acid reflux disease, gingivitis or difficulty breathing from allergies or asthma, this can cause a higher breath test reading.
The attorneys at HTW&W can help you with your DUI case if you feel you were a victim of the DUI Tyndall Effect. Please speak with us immediately if your air bag deployed and you were given a breath test after the accident. We won’t let the DUI Tyndall Effect be the cause of your conviction, so call us today!
