Breathalyzer Machines
November 13, 2007
Use of stand alone breathalyzer machines in bars and restaurants is increasing, although it still remains controversial. Breathalyzer machines are different from personal and police breathalyzers in that they are usually wall mounted or stand alone. They can range anywhere from the size of a toaster to the size of an ATM machine. The idea is that bars offer this as a service to their patrons (or charge them money like an arcade game), so that they know if they are safe to drive home after a night of drinking. You take one of the provided straws and blow into the machine when it tells you to. Very similar to a personal breathalyzer. The problem is that the results of breathalyzer machines would not legally stand up in court. Only breathalyzers administered by police are legally binding. Bar patrons might use the breathalyzer machine and assume they are fine to drive home, when in fact they are over the blood alcohol content (BAC) limit. Bars and restaurants fear that they could be sued if a machine gives a false reading below the limit and that person gets pulled over or gets in a car crash on the way home. Because of civil and liability laws in the U.S. that would allow for cases similar to these, I don’t think breathalyzer machines will be very popular. In Europe and other countries, they have a better chance of becoming available.
Watch a breathalyzer machine in action:
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