Urine Testing

When investigating Pennsylvania DUI or driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) cases, police rely on three types of breath, or urine tests. Urine testing is fraught with problems, which means it may be possible to challenge the results. Your Pennsylvania DUI lawyer at Zachary B. Cooper, Attorney at Law, P.C. can determine whether the results of your urine test are open to challenge.

Urine tests are often used in DUID cases. Because urine testing is so unreliable, it’s almost never used in drunk driving investigations unless breath or blood tests are unavailable. Police and technicians sometimes fail to follow the required guidelines for urine testing, which can make the results even more unreliable.

Any driver compelled to take a urine test must be given enough privacy to maintain his or her dignity. In most cases drivers are asked to privately empty their bladders, wait about 20 minutes, then go again and retain the sample.

Urine testing is the least reliable chemical test to reveal blood alcohol content (BAC). Urine tests typically show a driver’s BAC to be 1.33 times higher than in a blood sample taken at the same time. Because urine tests are so unreliable at gauging BAC, they are rarely used in Pennsylvania drunk driving cases.

Urine tests are also unreliable in DUID cases. The test detects metabolites in the blood, not the drug itself, so it’s impossible to tell when a substance was used. Therefore, a person who smoked marijuana on a Monday could be prosecuted for a DUID that occurred on a Wednesday, long after the effect of the drug had worn off.

Fortunately, it may be possible to challenge the results of your urine test in your Pennsylvania DUI case. Your Pennsylvania DUI attorney at Zachary B. Cooper, Attorney at Law, P.C. will thoroughly review your case to determine your best defense strategy.