At home breathalyzer....?

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Has anybody had an opportunity to play with this thing?
breathalyzer-web-2.jpg


Not really for any serious use, but more for fun at or after the pub... at only $50 or so at AustinHomeBrew, it looks like kind of a fun gift for fellow bar goers... is it even remotely accurate?:drunk:
 
I have not but drinking and driving is no joke. I could see it being useful better safe than dead. It would be a fun test to see how many beer you could drink before you would be over the limit. I would bet you it would be an eye opener for a lot of people to see how little it takes to over the limit these days .08
 
I haven't used that model, but we have played around with a few different ones at gatherings. You really need to wait 15-30 minutes without drinking to get an accurate reading.

One of them we played with after judging beer would make a really load and long annoying beep if you were over .08
 
I got one of those after reading Tucker Max's book "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell". It is something that should be banned from people buying cause you start having competitions with others.... But is still great for parties for the fun factor but not to be used to determine if people are okay to drive home (hence why I have a small lockbox I lock peoples keys in (and then normally forget where the key to the lockbox goes) :)

Check out the below: http://shortcovers.com/shortcovers/-HOPE-THEY-SERVE-BEER-IN/sc-Am0unAUfEUKq0N_FGG71nA/page1.html
 
Quality makes a big difference on these things. Spend the money to get a good one.

I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FJCX6U/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

it works great, but it need to be re-calibrated at the factory after so many uses (just like the "real" ones cops use). I definitely have used it to see who the most wasted person is at the end of the night, but I've also used it to make sure my friends and I aren't about to get in the car at .08 or above. Sometimes, it is hard to tell.

another upshot of this machine is that I can prevent my drunk friends from driving home by having "hard evidence" that they are intoxicated - nobody can argue with the numbers.
 
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Brew-boy said:
I have not but drinking and driving is no joke. I could see it being useful better safe than dead. It would be a fun test to see how many beer you could drink before you would be over the limit. I would bet you it would be an eye opener for a lot of people to see how little it takes to over the limit these days .08
Click to expand...

You don't have to be OVER THE LIMIT to be drinking and driving.
 
Depends on where you live. In California, being over the limit is a separate offense from DUI. You can get hit with either or both. I got booted out of a jury selection because I told a lawyer I believed you could be over the limit and not DUI. Why else would there be two different laws?
 
Kikshaaz said:
You don't have to be OVER THE LIMIT to be drinking and driving.
Click to expand...

The way I understand Oregon law, you can be arrested as long as they deem you impaired, no need to blow over the limit.

I do remember a bar I was in with friends many years ago, on the Oregon coast, had one of these. My friend paid his 50 cents, blew into it, and just as the computerized voice was telling him he blew a .15, and was over the limit to drive, two of the local cops walked into the place. My friend's face went pale, and then he stuttered that he was staying at a hotel just down the block and not driving anywhere. We all had a good laugh at my friend's freaked out reaction.
 
In moist states, you can get a DWI if you're impaired at all. You can get one if you drive when you're too tired.
 
ds5160 said:
The way I understand Oregon law, you can be arrested as long as they deem you impaired, no need to blow over the limit.
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IANAL, but I think most places, Ontario included, have that. The law isn't 'driving while BAC is > 0.08%', it's driving while impaired. Stoned is impaired, prescription drugs is impaired.

Of course, alcohol is the easiest and most concrete to prove. As far as I know, we don't do roadside impaired tests (remember The Man with Two Brains?) so I'm sure how it works if someone is arrested for impaired, but there's no 'concrete' proof, such as a breathalyzer to prove it.
 
I always thought that it would be kind of fun to know. But the accurate ones are all around 100 bucks. I'd use one if I knew someone who had one, but a 100 bucks is a lot of beer that I could brew instead.

Also, depending on how much/how fast you consume your BAC can rise for awhile (up to even 3+ hours). The NCAA puts out all sorts of information on the topic that I was obligated to listen to...
 
I could see it being a rather accurate way to judge if you're legally ok to drive. One of my friends in college had one and it seemed accurate. However, it was definitely a terrible thing to have in college. We had a dry erase board and an ongoing competition to out do each others record. Needless to say blow a 0.38% will give you a good hangover the next day. A poor game to play.
 
I have an alcohawk model that is like 4 years old. Its pretty cool to play with but as someone said, the 30minute wait time is mandatory to get an accurate result. I got it because I was in the navy and wanted to see my bac after a night in a foreign port. The problem that I encountered is that after having a pretty good time, I usually forgot i had it in my pocket and never used it for the reason I bought it.
 
carp said:
How about in more arid dry states - same thing?
Click to expand...

(Curses! A little late.......) Here in the Mississippi Valley, the atmosphere is like a heavy dew a lot of the time anyway.....you'll get DUI at the drop of a bottle.

On a serious note, it's just like many laws (cf. concealed carry or CCW laws): be really sure what your state statute says. You can violate an open container law in many places by having open but empty bottles or cans in the passenger compartment. I've heard anecdotes about a state (can't remember which) where a broken package (missing bottles / cans from a six / twelve / etc.) constitutes an open container. Other states don't even have an open container law....

And on the subject of the breathalyzer....a great thing for bars, maybe, but for parties at home, not so much. I see it as opening up the whole liability issue even more than it is now. "Well, your honor, my host's breathalyzer said it was OK for me to drive."
 
Law in New Hampshire used to be, you could drive WHILE drinking as long as you weren't over the limit, years ago of course. . .

I lived in Australia for about 5 months, nobody there drinks and drives, because cops can administer a breathalyzer "blowing the bag" without any reason whatsoever, plus the limit is .05 - only after you've got your "open" license which sometimes takes up to 5 years after you get your original license. Pretty strict but admirable.
 
even the police versions suck at accuracy. breathalizing is just inaccurate by nature. but noone wanted cops drawing blood roadside.
 
I saw a $20 model in Joann's or somewhere last year. My boss said 'If you're drunk enough to think that's going to give you an accurate reading, you shouldn't be driving.'
 
Elfmaze said:
even the police versions suck at accuracy. breathalizing is just inaccurate by nature. but noone wanted cops drawing blood roadside.
Click to expand...

correct we were only allowed to use it to varify that there was alcohol present. had to use a console model and or blood test. If the subject refused either then it was just visual. And if you refused the test your license was revoked for 6 months whether found guilty or not .
 
I got called in for jury duty. Turned out to be a DUI case. The prosecution asked us prospective jurors if we dank, and then all who answered yes if we thought one beer could intoxicate. Most beer here is 4% ABV. Most woman could have one and be under .08. That defendant could probably have four in an hour and be be under the limit.

I didn't make the jury. It was pretty easy to weed us down to only seven stanch Mormons. They probably convicted him of DUI for one beer. I didn't stick around for the rest of the facts. If he even looked to intoxicated he could be convicted here. If he made a dumb mistake while driving it is almost certain. Our laws are that vague.

I recall a chart in drivers education (when I was 15) that showed BAC by drinks per hour by weight. Like this one. Not very accurate but a good rule of thumb. I don't like to drink until I'm home for the night and seldom drink more than two if I'm away. It's not worth it.
 
We use the Alco Sensor IV in California and get very accurate results but a good DUI Cop or Duece Hound do not need a Preliminary Alcohol Screening Device (PAS) to effect an arrest. All I need is my trusty little finger and a few seconds to watch your eyes and I can tell you exactly what you blood alcohol content is. We have a saying, "The eyes don't lie."

To those of you wondering about the 2 DUI sections that most states try for, one pertains to driving under the influence - this can be under the influence of anything and is the lesser offense but other sections can be involved depending on what was used (I.E. narcotics, marijuana). The other and more sought after offense by the D.A. would be- driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .08% or more. Here in California the Sections are 23152 (a) V.C. and 23152 (b) V.C. Subsection (b) being the one we try and get.

The avg. drink will give a person a reading of .02%. This is fairly accurate but needs to be adjusted for tolerance, weight and food but is a good mark to go by. Alcohol will actually burn off in the body as well at an avg. rate of .01%-.02% per hour.
 
They had a 'vending machine' version at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. You got a straw to use to blow and as mentioned, we just used it to see who was the most wasted.

.08% isn't really that much at all. I have been VERY fortunate over the years regarding DUI. Deserved to get one many times but somehow avoided it.

Conroe, that chart seems way conservative. It's saying a 180 pound man can have 3 beers and still be below 0.8%, which just doesn't sound right.
 
Elfmaze said:
even the police versions suck at accuracy. breathalizing is just inaccurate by nature. but noone wanted cops drawing blood roadside.
Click to expand...

Not to call you out bro but you are very wrong in your statement. Our machines are very accurate down to 1/1000 of a percent and are calibrated with accuracy checks every 10 days or 150 breath samples. And drawing blood is not done by cops, only certified nurses/phlebotomists.
 
Law in New Hampshire used to be, you could drive WHILE drinking as long as you weren't over the limit, years ago of course. . .
Click to expand...
Makes too much sense, have to get rid of laws like that. :D Better to have people slam their drinks before they leave than sip them on the drive home.

I'd have one if it weren't for the calibration issue making it essentially worthless over time. With .08 being such a low level, I think it can be a litle difficult to tell if you're safe to drive or not. Even if I'm pretty certain I am...sure an expensive way to find out I was wrong and I was .08 instead of .06.
 
The one I linked in my earlier post, keeps a count of how many samples it's analyzed, and after 200 test (the recommended number is 200 anyway), you spend $25 and get a new sensor module.
 
Brewpatrol said:
We use the Alco Sensor IV in California and get very accurate results but a good DUI Cop or Duece Hound do not need a Preliminary Alcohol Screening Device (PAS) to effect an arrest. All I need is my trusty little finger and a few seconds to watch your eyes and I can tell you exactly what you blood alcohol content is. We have a saying, "The eyes don't lie."

To those of you wondering about the 2 DUI sections that most states try for, one pertains to driving under the influence - this can be under the influence of anything and is the lesser offense but other sections can be involved depending on what was used (I.E. narcotics, marijuana). The other and more sought after offense by the D.A. would be- driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .08% or more. Here in California the Sections are 23152 (a) V.C. and 23152 (b) V.C. Subsection (b) being the one we try and get.

The avg. drink will give a person a reading of .02%. This is fairly accurate but needs to be adjusted for tolerance, weight and food but is a good mark to go by. Alcohol will actually burn off in the body as well at an avg. rate of .01%-.02% per hour.
Click to expand...

what is this poppycock? do you know how many times ive had to take the eyeball jitter? delta9-thc, alcohol, psylicybins never fail to pass. but anytime between 1100 and 0600 i take them and a little bit tired, i get the "pleasure" of a non-certified PAS. the only two times it reported anything, one was .16 and 15 minutes later on a certified machine .08, and the other reported .25 and 25 minutes later blood indicated .19. you can't tell schitt man, unless you have tested a million people on a pas, certified machine, and blood, then i'll believe that.
 
Had a chance a year or so ago to take part in what was called a wet lab. The local PD was putting on a training for the officers in the area. A group of us were given different amounts to drink, blew the PBT and then would rotate through a couple groups of officers to do the FST's, and finaly did the PBT again. The only one of the FST's that I couldn't pass was horizontal gaze nystagmus. I originaly had a PBT of .11 and finished about a half hour later with .13. At the time out limit was .10. It was a good thing to do in that It showed me just what that level of intoxication felt like.
 
mordantly said:
its soooooo easy to hide .1+ if you have not drunk any alcohol in the last hour so resperation exhaust is minimal.
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How exactly do you propose it is hidden? Do you have conscious control over how much alcohol evaporates into your breath? I have yet to develop that sort of control over my alveloli but I'd love to learn it.
 
I bought an alcohawk (sp?) many years ago, but it quite working after a year or so. What I observed about the affect of various levels of BAC is that a certain level, say 0.08, represents quite a strong pleasant buzz 'on the way up'. You know how that initial buzz after 2 beers is so great. But if you keep drinking, even slow enough to maintain 0.08, that same BAC level feels like less. I figure a decent multi-hour party (at home of course) involves maintaining a good steady .12 - .15 :).
 
I would toss the question to any LEO's on the board then, is smell your indicator on the majority of your dui arrests? My guess would be driving behavior is the number one sign but it'd be neat to hear.

And then past that, how often do you pull someone over for reasons unrelated to irregular driving and wind up giving out dui/dwi?
 
Soybomb said:
I would toss the question to any LEO's on the board then, is smell your indicator on the majority of your dui arrests? My guess would be driving behavior is the number one sign but it'd be neat to hear.

And then past that, how often do you pull someone over for reasons unrelated to irregular driving and wind up giving out dui/dwi?
Click to expand...

Smell is hardly ever the indicator. Its always the driving. When working graveyard the primary goal is to seek out and aprehend DUI drivers before they kill someone or themselves. I've been to many of those accident scenes and would never wish that upon anyone. It wasn't something I ever really thought I would have to deal with until I responded to my first one. Its horrific and can't be described in words. John Q Public will never know what its like to walk in my shoes or see what I see but I signed up for it and take that responsibility. It was my choice. Same thing can be said for those who serve our country and protect the freedoms we have here in America.

I have stopped thousands of drivers and many of them have been arrested for DUI although it may not have been the reason why I stopped them. They may not have driven in the manner that one would expect a DUI driver i.e. weaving within the lane but may have been speeding, unsafe lane changing or running stop signs. We tend to forget that traffic violations are indicators of DUI due to the driver's innebriation. Alcohol slows the bodies motor skills and sense of judgement making something such as a simple stop sign hard to see or stop in time for.

After contact is where it really becomes easy for those of us who trained for it. Smell does play a factor. Alcohol emmitts from ones person through more than just breath but also through pores and has a distinct odor. Eyes become red and glossy and speech thick and slurred. Its impossible for one to cover them up as they have no control of what the alcohol is doing to their system.

Someone above said that they participated ina DUI wet lab and "passed" all tests except the PAS. I'd like to let everyone in on a little secret here. All field sobriety tests are not weighted pass or fail. The Officer is simply looking for "tells" or indicators just like in poker. The PAS device is not even a standardized Field Sobriety Test. Its just another tool to help the officer and can actually be refused by the driver just like the others. It does not mean though that the driver will not be arrested. Here in California and in probably every other state, once the driver is arrested for DUI he/she "shall" submitt to a chemical test of his/her choice be it a blood test or breath test. The chemical breath test is not the same as the PAS and is explained to the driver. Most DUI drivers are so out if it they can't comprehend.

I hope this helps you guys, I would hate for any of you to be subject to a DUI arrest. They aren't fun and are costly. I would only hope that if you were/are arrested that you actually reflect and thank whomever because it means that you are alive and didn't kill yourself. You can even thank the officer for that.
 

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