There are certain nights that bring people together to celebrate; New Year’s Eve, the Superbowl, St. Patrick’s Day, the Fourth of July and Halloween. At this time of the year – Halloween – the holiday that turns entire neighborhoods into free candy stores for children, also makes for a fun night for moms and dads. Holiday parties that mix too strongly with alcohol can turn out some scary statistics:
With these terrible numbers that carry even worse consequences, it makes sense to be prepared with the right tools. Just like the flashlight and tire iron you carry in the trunk, why not make a small investment in your safety with the purchase of an individual breathalyzer that fits right you your glove box.
There are many different personal breathalyzers on the market today. A quick search of Amazon will come back with no fewer than 700 different models from which to choose – some that even fit on your keychain. With price points that range from $8.00 on the low end to $700.00+, there isn’t really a good reason not to purchase on for each one of your drivers and cars.
There are three types of breathalyzers are available for personal purchase. While these aren’t quite the same units that law enforcement uses, they provide relatively accurate readings most of the time.
Fuel Cell Sensor Units
Fuel cell sensor units provide the most accurate readings possible in a personal breathalyzer. It requires occasional recalibration, which will add to its overall expense. Fuel cell sensor units have a higher starting price than some other designs, too. In a fuel cell breathalyzer, the unit measures the concentration of alcohol molecules in the breath of the user.
Semiconductor Oxide Sensor Units
Personal breathalyzers with a semiconductor oxide sensor is considered a “basic” unit. These units are small and may even fit on a keychain but aren’t as accurate as fuel cell units and may need recalibration more often than other designs.
Disposable Units
Commonly found in liquor stores, the cheap breathalyzers are designed for one-time use and must be thrown away after use. These units will indicate whether someone has been drinking alcohol, but their accuracy is not dependable.
Equipped with this information, listed here are the top personal breathalyzers on the market today:
BACtrack: Top-performing unit on the market – worth the personal investment.
TruBreez: The best value (approximately $35.00) for a personal unit with performance hard to match.
Pro-Tec: Easy-to-use breathalyzer with one-touch operation providing good accuracy levels.
AlcoHAWK: Sufficient choice for the money, but similarly priced units offers faster readings.
BACtrack Trace: Offers good accuracy at a mid-level price point.
A personal breathalyzer may seem like a bit of a strange purchase, but the price of drinking and driving is far greater. Is it worth the gamble?