Personal Breathalyzers - DUI Prevention Or Public Danger?

Hand-held breathalyzers are becoming more and more popular for personal use. However, this surge in popularity does not come without its fair share of controversy. While breathalyzer manufacturers tout the benefits of using a personal breath test to determine one's blood alcohol content (BAC) before driving law enforcement officials and organizations such as MADD warn the devices may cause more harm than good.

One of the principal criticisms of using personal breathalyzers is that the test will give the user a false sense of confidence in their ability to drive. Critics fear that a person may receive a BAC reading below the legal limit and decide to drive even though they are impaired. It is important to note that a person may receive a DUI or DWI even though they are below the legal limit. Further, some studies assert that a person may be impaired when they have a BAC of.05 or less while the legal limit is.08. Thus, a person using a personal breathalyzer could receive an accurate BAC reading that is below the legal limit but still be impaired while driving and create a danger to themselves as well as other drivers.

However, proponents of personal alcohol breath tests counter that the device still gives the user additional information when making the decision of whether they have had too much to drink. If the person uses this information to make an informed decision, knowing that the BAC reading does not alone indicate impairment the tool does serve a valuable purpose.

Another criticism that personal breathalyzers receive is that they may give an inaccurate reading that may encourage someone to drive even though they are impaired. Inaccuracies in breath tests might occur for a number of reasons, including unsophisticated sensors, extended periods of use without calibration, or even temperature variations in the environment or the user's body.

Proponents claim that as long as the user acts responsibly, ensuring that the device is of high quality before purchasing and calibrating or replacing the sensor when needed, the breathalyzer will remain as effective as those used by law enforcement.

Basically, before a person purchases and uses a device they should take time to learn how the device works, read reviews of different models, and then make sure that the device stays in working order. It is also very important that the user know the limitations of the device and that a certain BAC level does not necessarily tell whether the user is impaired. Additionally, the user should be aware that they can be arrested despite their BAC level and that the police officer's breathalyzer will likely be the reading entered as evidence in a DUI case.

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