Anyone who has ever consumed alcohol at a restaurant and bar has wondered if their blood-alcohol concentration is low enough for them not to get a DUI.
Bars used to have breathalyzers on the wall to help patrons out. However, these devices served more for drinking games to see how messed up people could get so they were quickly outlawed across the country. As reported in westchesterbuzz.com.
Now comes the portable Breathalyzer. Developed by an Ohio DUI attorney, it is a device that he hopes will put him out of business: a portable breath test.
Jeff Meadows earns nearly all his livelihood defending people who are charged with drunken driving.
Called “TESTorARREST,” the device is a cigarette-sized clear plastic tube that sells for $9.99 for a two-pack. After a person breathes into the tube, a chemical inside interacts with breath alcohol. If the yellow crystals inside change to an aqua color, that indicates the person’s alcohol level exceeds 0.08.
And it has another function too - people who test over the limit may use their smart phones to access www.testorarrest.com to get instant access to a local taxi.
The device’s slogan: “If you don’t pass, stay off the gas!”
How smart is this? It’s very inexpensive, costing the fraction of the price of a DUI attorney. A few dollars now versus a few thousand later makes it a no-brainer.
It will be interesting to see how this device pans out in the future. Will it save people from expensive DUIs and DUI schools? Only time will tell.