Originally Posted by
petaluma1
I decided to investigate the second link a bit further because I didn't believe the claim. (Not believing YOU; just the claim in the article.
)
It's a AAA article and not about a particular piece of equipment. The article was so inaccurate that the picture is not of a passive device, but of an active breathalyzer. It gets a lot "thicker" after that:
PAS do not require “active” cooperation by the suspect because an officer needs only to place the device within several feet of the inside of the vehicle to obtain a reading.
Not on this planet...
The goal of these passive sensors is merely to aid an officer in the detection of alcohol during a stop, not to replace other more reliable and effective testing methods.
No kidding...
Because they lack the precision of other tests and can detect alcohol from sources other than the suspected drunk driver, PAS results generally are not accepted as prima facie evidence during prosecution.
...but we at AAA encourage you to spend your constituents' tax dollars on these gadgets anyway.