Is calibration important? The RCMP seem to think so. This past Friday, Victoria Police Chief Jamie Graham, chair of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police traffic safety committee, said that recent RCMP lab tests found a margin of error in the current devices.

This error is considered to be "small" but the police agree that an accurately calibrated device is key in making sure that the reading that you are getting from the breathalyzer is accurate.  The RCMP in BC have approximately 2200 breathalyzers to calibrate and they are doing it as fast as possible because until this is done they are not issuing suspensions of 3, 7 or 30 days as provided under the new drunk-driving laws unless readings exceed the warn range of .05 to .08.

But be warned, police can still issue 24hr suspensions if they have reasonable cause to suspect the driver is impaired.

So make sure your device is properly calibrated, so that you can be sure you are getting accurate readings.  Read our section on Breathalyzer Calibration for more information.