Do portable breathalyzers do the job they’re supposed to do?
We hear and read about drunk driving constantly, and usually a news report on the accident will say what the driver’s blood alcohol level was and what the legal limit for blood alcohol is. A driver might be found to have a level of 0.15, for example, and the legal limit is 0.08. But what do those figures mean? And how do police officers find out if a driver they suspect has been drinking is actually legally drunk? You have probably heard about the breathalyzer, but may wonder exactly how a person’s breath can show how much that person has had to drink.
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Cost: [amazon_link id=”B000UF0BUY” target=”_blank” ]Safe Drive Deluxe Breathalyzer ($21.99- 49.95)[/amazon_link]
Where to Buy: [amazon_link id=”B000UF0BUY” target=”_blank” ]Amazon[/amazon_link]
Of course it’s important for public safety that drunken drivers be taken off the roads. Of the 42,000 traffic deaths in the United States in 1999, about 38 percent were related to alcohol. Drivers who can pass roadside sobriety tests, could still be breaking the legal limit for blood alcohol and be a hazard on the road. So police officers use some of the latest technology to detect alcohol levels in suspected drunken drivers and remove them from the streets.
Many officers in the field rely on breath alcohol testing devices (Breathalyzer is one type) to determine the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in drunken-driving suspects. The cost of a personal portable breathalyzer is extremely small compared to the costs you’ll face if you get arrested for driving under the influence. Having the ability to check your BAC level after having a few drinks with your own personal breathalyzer before you get behind the wheel to drive could actually save you thousands of dollars down the road. Or could it? Do these portable personal breathalyzers you can buy in stores really work?
There are several types of breathalyzers that can be bought for personal/home use including disposable versions at a price that wont have you seeking mortgage advice for the month. Before you start using the breathalyzer, you have to sit down with the manual so that you know exactly how it works and the tips to getting the best and most accurate reading. One tip will be to make sure that you’re not using the device for a full fifteen minutes after eating or drinking anything. Most types of breathalyzers work by testing the breath from the lungs.
I tested the [amazon_link id=”B000UF0BUY” target=”_blank” ]Safe Drive Deluxe Breathalyzer[/amazon_link], and I’ll have to say, I have my doubts about its effectiveness, or for that matter, most of these self-administered breathalyzer devices. The Safe Drive Deluxe is the latest generation of reusable Breath Alcohol Detectors, measuring the level of alcohol in a person’s breath by utilizing advanced semi-conductor gas sensor technology. The LED window displays your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) in .01 increments. Now let me preface my opinion of the Safe Drive Deluxe Breathalyzer by saying that there are even far less accurate and reliable models out on the market…..some are simply useless. Some of these imitation breathalyzers on the market will read all the way up to .40 BAC, which is not nearly as precise as Safe Drive’s range from 0 – .12 BAC. In addition, Safe Drive’s Self-Recalibration feature is intended to insure the most accurate readings at all times without recalibrating it.
Safe Drive is easy to use – even after a few cocktails. You gently blow into the mouth vent and within a few seconds your BAC appears on a backlit LCD display. Audible beeps indicate when the meter is ready and when a breath sample has been registered, much like those used by police departments.
TESTING
So I threw down a few frosty ones and measured my BAC, both with the [amazon_link id=”B000UF0BUY” target=”_blank” ]Safe Drive Deluxe Breathalyzer[/amazon_link], and a model that officers use in the field, (thanks to a police buddy of mine.) Admittedly, my cop buddy fessed up to the fact that the breathalyzers his department uses aren’t always that accurate. “Oh, that’s nice,” I thought.
So what were the readings? The Safe Drive gave me a reading of .11 after about 3 beers. (I’m a smaller guy). That’s over the legal limit in my state. Had I been in a real uncontrolled drinking and driving situation, I would have chosen the officer’s reading. His meter read .07, just under the legal limit in my state. We tested it again after I chugged another cold one. This time the differential was significant. The Safe Drive read .15, while the officer’s reading stayed at .07.
So what are we to learn from this fun and educational experiment? My best theory is that most of these meters are merely an extremely rough guess at the actual BACs. And if you’re faced with a potential drinking and driving charge, you hardly want to to rely on the roll of the dice from any of these meters.
While the [amazon_link id=”B000UF0BUY” target=”_blank” ]Safe Drive Deluxe Breathalyzer[/amazon_link] might be a decent product in its category, I can’t say that I’m sold on the idea of these devices. If you’re in doubt about your BAC after a night of drinking, it’s probably best NEVER to entertain the prospect of getting behind the wheel.
David Michael Cantor, an Arizona DUI attorney, says, “If you are determining whether or not to get in the car based on a novelty breathalyzer, YOU SHOULDN’T BE DRIVING! The results are not admissible in a court of law, and won’t hold up as a defense.”
