It never ceases to amaze me what a smartphone can do, from detecting metal (for iPhones with built-in magnetometers) to monitoring your heart rate to scanning documents. Believe it or not, the iPhone can also provide you with a BAC reading.
Self-proclaimed “World’s First Smartphone Breathalyzer,” the Breathometer plugs into the phone’s audio jack and purports to measure a person’s blood alcohol content with the accuracy of actual breathalyzers. Through a downloaded app, the user’s BAC is displayed on the phone’s screen.
When detached from the phone, the Breathometer can attach to a set of keys. What’s more, when a person pulls out their keys, the Breathometer reminds them to check their BAC before they get behind the wheel.
The Breathometer can be purchased on its website for $49.
I apologize if this sounds like a commercial for the Breathometer. (No, I’m not being paid by them to write about the Breathometer)
I’m writing about it because it allows a driver to know what their BAC is before they get behind the wheel. This can prevent potential DUIs and DUI charges. If it can prevent a DUI, I’m going to write about it.
Whether it actually will prevent DUIs, I don’t know. But, think about it. Given how trigger happy (no pun intended…or is it?) cops are to pull people over, will some people think twice about driving if the Breathometer indicates their BAC is, say, at a 0.08 percent? I think so.
Owners of breathalyzers, including the Breathometer, need to remember that a person can be arrested for a DUI even if their blood alcohol content is below a 0.08 percent.
California Vehicle Code section 23152(a) provides that a person can be charged and convicted of a California DUI if they are “under the influence” regardless of what their BAC is. However, the lower the BAC, the less likely it is that a person is “under the influence.”
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