She used wet wipes and sanitizer, her driver's license was confiscated

Dilek Arslan Bal, who lives in Diyarbakır, set out to attend a relative's henna night on September 18, 2021, around 00:30 at night. Traveling with her family in a car she borrowed from her brother, Bal stopped at a gas station on the Silvan road on her way back to get fuel and take care of her needs. Having used both wet wipes and disinfectant there, Bal got back into her car and continued on her way.

When Bal entered a police checkpoint at the entrance to Diyarbakır, security forces asked for her driver's license and vehicle registration. After handing over her documents, Bal was asked to blow into the breathalyzer. Bal, who blew into the device without a moment's hesitation, was stunned by the result. Determined to have 0.61 promille of alcohol according to the breathalyzer, Bal insisted there was a mistake and that she never consumed alcohol, but she could not change the result. Notifying her family, Bal headed to the Diyarbakır Selahaddin Eyyubi State Hospital with her relatives. While there, she chatted with a nurse, wanting to get information about how alcohol might have shown up. The nurse stated that the consumption of carbonated drinks, disinfectant, and wet wipes could sometimes mislead the breathalyzer.

Bal, who entered the checkpoint at 00:21 on the night of September 18, 2021, provided her samples at 02:00. Bal, whose test results came back clean and who was determined not to have consumed alcohol, applied to the court through her lawyer. While the fine issued to Bal, who was proven not to have consumed alcohol, was canceled, her confiscated license was returned. After 4 years had passed, Bal went to the courthouse and experienced a second shock when she learned that the decision had been sent to the appellate court. Stating that everything is clear and that she has never touched alcohol in her life, Bal is now waiting for the decision from the appellate court.

"I THOUGHT IT WAS A PRANK"

Making statements regarding the process she went through, Dilek Arslan Bal said, "I was caught in a checkpoint on the Silvan Road while returning from a henna night. They handed me the breathalyzer, I blew into it. They said, 'You have 0.61 promille of alcohol.' Honestly, I was very surprised; at first, I thought it was a hidden camera prank. I asked, 'Officer, is this a hidden camera prank?' He said, 'No, pull over to the right.' I pulled the vehicle to the right. They took my license, then they said, 'We are going to impound the vehicle.' The vehicle did not belong to me; I was driving my brother's car. At that time, they fined me 1,349 liras and confiscated my license for 6 months. Yet, I had not consumed any alcohol. I might have had a carbonated drink at the henna night, or I might have used disinfectant or wet wipes. The police officers themselves said these could affect the results, and the nurse said the same. I had used these products at that time. The most important thing was the blood test results anyway. My test results came back negative. I was confident in myself; it was certain that I was not intoxicated. However, despite this, my file was sent to the appellate court. I didn't understand why. I am the one in the right, yet the file went to the appellate court. I really wonder why it might have been sent to the appellate court. When it was revealed that I was in the right, the fine was refunded and my license was returned," she said.