According to the amendments, before a drive undergoes a breathalyzer test to determine alcohol intoxication levels, a State Police or State Border Guard authority will inform the driver that they will be held administratively liable if they refuse the test.
If it's not possible to conduct the breathalyzer test, or if the driver refuses the test or doesn't accept the results, the authority enters this information into the protocol. Drivers will be taken to the nearest medical institution to conduct a medical test only if it's not possible to conduct the breathalyzer test on the driver.
According to the Interior Ministry, both police and medical workers have been extremely overloaded during the emergency situation. It maintains that it's possible to precisely define blood alcohol concentration with portable equipment, so the Ministry reminds residents that liability for refusing a test with a portable device to test blood alcohol concentration is listed in the Latvian Administrative Violations Code.
