Do breathalyzer machines in bars encourage drinking games?
| Tuesday, Dec 29 2009 09:40 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Dec 29 2009 09:54 PM
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The Alco-Checkpoint breathalizer machine.
Joshua Noble set down his drink, walked up to a breathalyzer machine by the front door at The Mint bar on 19th Street, put in a dollar, grabbed a clean straw and blew.
"Woo-hoo!" the Bakersfield resident said when his blood-alcohol level reading came to .05 percent. "I'm legal to drive!" Then he returned to his drink.
Similar routines play out regularly at bars around Bakersfield as breathalyzers become an increasingly common fixture in bars here and elsewhere. Although the vending-type machines clearly state that they're for "novelty use only," patrons sometimes use them for informal sobriety tests -- and occasionally, for games that actually promote excessive drinking.
This potential for misuse makes wall-mounted breathalyzers "kind of a double-edged sword," said Silas Miers, a program specialist for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The devices are helpful if after using one people decide to call a cab for a ride home, he said, but if they promote drinking games, they have the potential to defeat the purpose.
Beyond that, the machines aren't necessarily as accurate as police breathalyzers, and so they may give drinkers a false sense that they're OK to drive, he said.
"These devices aren't something that's going to keep somebody from being legally arrested," he said.
The San Diego company that sells the machines, Alco-Checkpoint, acknowledges as much. But owner Jonathan Ohana maintains that if they're properly calibrated on a regular basis, the machines are accurate. He emphasized that users need to follow the guidelines printed on the machines, such as making sure not to drink or smoke for five to 10 minutes before use.
As for the drinking games, Ohana said he has heard of them, including contests to see who produces the highest reading. His position is that they tend to remind people how inebriated they are, reinforcing the message that they shouldn't drive.
"I like to tell people that no matter what they're (used) for ... the undertone of don't drink and drive is still there," he said.
James Grasty, owner of DDI, a Bakersfield-based driving service geared mainly toward people who don't want to drive after drinking, said he considered buying some of the machines to promote his business. Although he ultimately decided against that, he does own a personal breathalyzer that he and his friends occasionally use for fun to see who is the most intoxicated.
Grasty's overall position is that the devices can be helpful or unhelpful, depending whether the user acts responsibly.
"Even though there is a warning on there," he said, "it's not going to prevent people from doing bad things."
Back at The Mint, Noble recalled using one of the machines recently and learning that his blood alcohol level was well beyond the legal limit. Based on that information, he decided to call a cab -- even though he lived only a few blocks away.
"The shots of Goldschlager probably didn't help," he said.
