Making breath tests less random and more personal
Making the decision to drive your car after any amount of alcohol involves a degree of risk.
Following guidelines which indicate limits for males and females consuming standard drinks, is useful but not foolproof. Other factors such as body weight, general health and fitness, even your liver function, will affect your blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
Now Crime Stoppers is endorsing a self test breathalyser kit which it says will enable people to make a more responsible decision.
The compact disposable unit costs around $9 and will soon be available for sale in various retail outlets, as well as pubs and clubs. But police are not convinced that promoting the self test kits is sending the right message to the public.
New South Wales Police Chief Superintendent John Hartley believes it’s more important to educate the public that people who drink should simply not consider driving.
Crime Stoppers are endorsing the kits because they say they will allow an individual to make a decision based, not on a guideline, but on how their body appears to be metabolising the alcohol they have consumed.
Police, however, are still concerned that if the device is not used correctly, consumers could miscalculate their BAC.
The breathalyser kit being promoted by Crime Stoppers is currently the only disposable breathalyser device which is certified for accuracy and reliability by Standards Australia.
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Would you use a self test breathalyser?
