Breath Test Machines in bars or the one at the police station:

Which one do you think the police will rely on?

Recently we’ve noticed breath test machines in bars around the local area. On one hand, this is a good thing. The better educated a person can be about how their personal drinking pattern impacts their own blood alcohol content, the better. On the other hand, we’ve now had our first call from a person who drove based on the result from the in-bar machine, only to find themselves arrested for a DUI anyway.

I can’t fault the bars for putting these machines in, nor the company who makes the machines – again, I think this can be a very good thing in a general educational sense. The challenge is when people make decisions to drive based on the results of a machine that is simply not designed for that level of accuracy or reliability.

I suggest you use in-bar breath test machines in bars much like the state’s lottery disclaimer suggests – for entertainment purposes only.  I hope you never need to call us, but if you or someone you believe in has been arrested for a DUI, please do call us right away.