What is a 'preliminary breath test' or PBT and how is it used during a DUI arrest?

What is a 'preliminary breath test' or PBT and how is it used during a DUI arrest?

Neil Shouse (Defense Attorney) gives expert video advice on: Can the police use my statements during a DUI arrest as evidence in court?; What are three nationally standardized DUI field sobriety test?; Are DUI field sobriety tests accurate and reliable? and more...

A preliminary breath test, also sometimes referred to as a preliminary alcohol screening test, is a handheld device that police take with them in their cars, and at the side of the road when they are doing a DUI investigation will ask the motorist to blow into, and this handheld device will provide a reading of the person's BAC. The handheld device is much less accurate than the breath test that would be taken at the police station and sometimes it is used in court only to show the presence of alcohol. Other times the reading can be used in court, but it is less accurate than the official breath test that is taken at the police station and it is designed to guide the police in determining whether or not to arrest the person on suspicion of drunk driving and then to ask them to take a further test.