Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS)
Definition - What does Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS) mean?
Preliminary alcohol screening (PAS) is a test used by law enforcement officers for an on the spot determination of the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of an individual suspected of driving under the influence (DUI). The test is performed using a handheld breath testing device, commonly known as a breathalyzer, that gives an immediate and fairly accurate measure of an individual’s BAC level.
Preliminary alcohol screening is also called preliminary breath test (PBT) or Point of Arrest (POA) testing.
Justipedia explains Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS)
Driving a vehicle while having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of 0.08% or higher is considered driving under the influence (DUI). This is a crime in the United States. When a law enforcement officer stops an individual suspected of DUI, they conduct field sobriety tests as a means of early intoxication detection before more reliable tests can be performed. Preliminary alcohol screening is one of the field sobriety tests. The breathalyzer gives an immediate estimation of an individual’s BAC level. Since the results of preliminary alcohol screening tests are not completely accurate, most jurisdictions don’t consider the results to be enough evidence for a DUI conviction.
