CHAPTER 3:
METROLOGY
KOPLOW LAW FIRM
The primary area of scientific expertise in DUI and vehicular crimes cases is perhaps the what is most lacking our country’s crime laboratories – metrology.
- Framing test results
- The science of measurement
Metrology is the science of measurement. It is the primary areas of expertise at issue in DUI and Vehicular Crimes cases. It is also the most overlooked area in defending these cases.
DUI and vehicular crimes cases are frequently based upon a measurement. The government’s claim they measured the amount of alcohol or a drug in a person’s system. A successful defense rests upon your ability to challenge the “number” that results from these measurements.
Not A True Value
When a BAC test result states that person has alcohol concentration of .140 that is not a true value. Contrary to the way it is often presented, it is merely an estimation. All measurements, including blood test results in DUI cases, are not capable of providing a true value. This is a fundamental principle of metrology.
Measurement Uncertainty
All measurements include uncertainty. Scientifically reliable measurements must quantify how much uncertainty they contain. A measurement without an uncertainty calculation is incomplete.
