Just an FYI, but breathalyzers are not perfect. They can be thrown off by medication and other variables both in the equipment and in the person being tested. Furthermore, breath tests can be administered incorrectly. The only really accurate way to determine you BAC is through a blood test (and even those can be screwed up). It is very possible to blow a false positive on a breathalyzer. If you don't think that's true, then ask yourself why the makers of these machines won't provide information about how they work?
You did bring up the idea that someone who isn't doing anything wrong should have nothing to hide, so what are they hiding and why?
Now, if you can accept the idea that breahtalyzers are not 100% perfect, then refusing to do a breath test means that the prosecution doesn't have positive breathalyzer results to use against you in court. That might not seem like much, but that can easily be the difference between spending some time in jail and going home (regardless of whether you were drinking at all). Unfortunately in a lot of states that will still lose you your license until you go to court to fight to get it back.
Doesn't that seem odd to you? You don't have to be convicted of anything, but if you don't take a breathalyzer test you can lose your license. I thought it was a rather peculiar arrangement until I realized that a lot of our DUI laws have been heavily lobbied for by groups like MADD (a group with noble goals and somewhat psychotic means of reaching those goals). Stricly speaking, our DUI laws and their implementation is a good effort, but it is by no means perfect and they have been _heavily_ influenced by the emotions and efforts ofpeople who have been negatively affected by drunk driving.
Sure, it's easy to think that they're "good enough" when your sitting at your computer safely away from the consequences of these laws, but ask yourself how you'd feel if you were sitting in jail after blowing a false positive on a breathalyzer on a night when you weren't even drinking. Would the prospect of prison, a felony conviction, losing your license etc... seem ok then?
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Just an FYI, but breathalyzers are not perfect. They can be thrown off by medication and other variables both in the equipment and in the person being tested. Furthermore, breath tests can be administered incorrectly. The only really accurate way to determine you BAC is through a blood test (and even those can be screwed up). It is very possible to blow a false positive on a breathalyzer. If you don't think that's true, then ask yourself why the makers of these machines won't provide information about how they work? You did bring up the idea that someone who isn't doing anything wrong should have nothing to hide, so what are they hiding and why? Now, if you can accept the idea that breahtalyzers are not 100% perfect, then refusing to do a breath test means that the prosecution doesn't have positive breathalyzer results to use against you in court. That might not seem like much, but that can easily be the difference between spending some time in jail and going home (regardless of whether you were drinking at all). Unfortunately in a lot of states that will still lose you your license until you go to court to fight to get it back. Doesn't that seem odd to you? You don't have to be convicted of anything, but if you don't take a breathalyzer test you can lose your license. I thought it was a rather peculiar arrangement until I realized that a lot of our DUI laws have been heavily lobbied for by groups like MADD (a group with noble goals and somewhat psychotic means of reaching those goals). Stricly speaking, our DUI laws and their implementation is a good effort, but it is by no means perfect and they have been _heavily_ influenced by the emotions and efforts ofpeople who have been negatively affected by drunk driving. Sure, it's easy to think that they're "good enough" when your sitting at your computer safely away from the consequences of these laws, but ask yourself how you'd feel if you were sitting in jail after blowing a false positive on a breathalyzer on a night when you weren't even drinking. Would the prospect of prison, a felony conviction, losing your license etc... seem ok then?