A San Diego police detective accused of driving under the influence pleaded not guilty to all related charges Wednesday.

The San Diego U-T reports that one police official will still remain on the police force desk duty in wake of the Allied Gardens car accident. The officer, who faces two misdemeanor counts and a special allegation of reckless driving, entered his plea by fax and did not appear at the arraignment.

The man is said to have careened into a utility box when the San Diego accident occurred; fortunately, there were no reported cases of personal injury as a result of the crash.

According to the news source, the accident garnered some discourse due to a delay in entering the event into the police dispatch system. A U-T Watchdog brought the matter to light and police responded to the alleged DUI accident 6 days after the event.

“The City Attorney’s Office went to court earlier this month to force police officials to provide information about the accident, including results of an initial blood-alcohol screening done for an internal investigation,” the San Diego Union Tribune reported.

Officials recorded his blood alcohol level at 0.09, just one tenth of a point above the legal limit.

The investigation is still underway.

Portable Breathalyzer Tests: Can they prevent DUI accidents?

It happens all too often: a driver makes the decision to drive home with the impression they are not intoxicated after a drink or two. Unfortunately, you can’t play alcohol by ear. The fact is that alcohol can render various physical reactions in people of all shapes and sizes depending on what kinds of foods – if any – were consumed prior to drinking and the strength of the alcohol.

Because alcohol can have varied effects, portable breathalyzer tests were introduced about a decade ago as a DUI accident prevention tool.  They are designed to give blood alcohol concentration levels upon testing by use of fuel cell technology – the same kind of technology used by law enforcement. The idea is that someone can use the breathalyzer prior to getting into a vehicle to drive to determine if it is safe.

Although breathalyzers are available for consumer use, they don’t paint the entire picture of the problem. For example, varied breathing patterns can cause an inaccurate reading. Holding your breath before breathing into the machine can increase your BAC reading by nearly 17 percent while fast-paced, shallow breathing can decrease your reading by almost 10 percent. And, when drunk, many people outright fail to use the breathalyzer entirely or use it correctly, leading drivers to believe they are in the clear to drive. In those cases, a breathalyzer does absolutely nothing to prevent drunken driving.

When it comes to preventing a DUI accident, although portable BAC machines can be helpful, they aren’t entirely accurate based on external variables that are undoubtedly present. That’s why it’s so important to be cognizant of your alcohol consumption while playing it safe.

The best rule of thumb in preventing a DUI injury accident is to preplan. You should know who the designated driver will be well ahead of time. You can prepay a taxi ride home. As a host, you can preplan your food and beverage service to include plenty of bottled water and a “last call” when alcohol is no longer served prior to wrapping up the party.

When an accident occurs

You can preplan and be responsible – but that doesn’t mean everyone else will do the same. Unfortunately, San Diego injury DUI accidents happen on a daily basis from irresponsible decision making.

If you have been injured in an accident from someone else’s suspected intoxication, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Call the Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers, APC. at 1-858-551-2090 for a FREE consultation to understand your legal rights and file your personal injury claim right away.