Smartphone breathalyzer tells when you're too drunk to drive

Have you ever been out with friends and wondered whether it's safe to drive home at the end of the night?

You feel fine, but you've had a few drinks and you're just not sure.

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Smartphone accessory tells you when you're drunk

A Silicon Valley company called Breathometer hopes to give you some quick answers via a miniature machine that connects to your phone.

Simply push the jack out, take your smartphone, and plug it in. Then, breathe into the device and it will actually analyze your breath alcohol concentration.

Once people see they're over the limit, the company hopes they will do the right thing and hand over the keys.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 10,000 people die every year driving while intoxicated in America.

Breathometer C.E.O. Charles Michael Yim says the device may save lives.

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"The focus for us is to reduce as many drunk driving accidents as there are and ultimately potentially even save lives," Yim said.

If you're blowing into the standard breathalyzer you're probably halfway to jail.

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New technology may help end drunk driving

The two consumer versions already on the market are a little larger, perhaps too bulky to bring inside a bar.

The Breathometer is much smaller and fits on a key-chain. And the smartphone app doesn't just tell you how drunk you are, it gives you choices: to call a cab or even a friend who might be nearby.

The company is taking advance orders for $20 each. They expect Breathometers to be available to the public by this summer.

Breathometer has already received 3,000 orders in just the past five days, more than double what they were expecting.

[Paroquet]

We had a brethalyzer for patrons to use at a bar I worked at. As is true for about any portable, to get anything resembling an indication you have to abstain from drinking for at least twenty minutes, switch to a non-alcoholic & non-diet beverage for the duration, not use tobacco of chew sugarless gum, then rinse your mouth well first with water. Not following instructions, I routinely saw patrons who used the device blow 5.0+, which is a little over ten-times lethal.

[Fredrickfge]

This device is as stupid as the DUI laws.

A breathalyzer cannot tell if you are impaired or how impaired you are.

Many regular drinkers are unimpaired at .08.

[Scimajor]

Why do I need a gadget for my phone? If I've been drinking I don't drive. Pretty simple.

[bobnjersey]

[Breathometer C.E.O. Charles Michael Yim says the device may save lives ... "The focus for us is to reduce as many drunk driving accidents as there are and ultimately potentially even save lives," Yim said.]
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it might also end up being used as part of a drinking game to see who can 'blow' the highest blood alcohol concentration ... which would promote binge drinking ... and do exactly the opposite of what it is intended to do.