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With so many choices, how do you chose a Digital Alcohol Tester?

With ever more strict DUI laws and heavy fines and penalties, it is a good idea to equip yourself with a personal digital alcohol tester. These units will give you a reading on Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC), which in a more precision form, is what police will use as well to see if you are above the alcohol level or not. Of course, any mechanical/electrical unit can fail or may not be properly calibrated or powered, so always use your judgment as well to decide to take a cab instead of driving (although your judgement may most likely be impaired).

How fast would your blood alcohol rise after drinking? That is a common question. Your blood alcohol starts rising after a mere minutes of drinking. Alcohol is directly absorbed directly through stomach walls and then quickly travels to the blood system, your entire body, and your brain. The quick absorption mechanism causes a rapid rise of your BAC.

If you take food with alcohol, then the rate of BAC will slow down and high levels may be reached in 60 minutes after consumption. So the effect of food is how fast high BAC levels are reached.

Note that the BAC levels your tester will show do not mean that it is safe to drive. Even with BAC below 0.05, you may be impaired.

These testers range from below $10 to well over hundreds of dollars. So how do you choose the one that meets your requirements as well as fit your budget?

Low budget models are usually manual, and consisting of a glass tube containing crystals that change color when exposed to alcohol. The more expensive devices use electronics to measure BAC.

First, let’s look at some of the specs you should be concerned about.

Weight:
Weight is very important, as you will be more likely to carry a very lightweight unit in your pocket, vs. having a heavier unit that sites in your dashboard, and you might forget to test with.

Display:
You can choose from LCD or LED displays. LCD is easier to see in the light, however LED display can be seen in very low light. So you need to consider the lighting where you are going to be using these units.

Mouthpieces:
How many mouthpieces are provided with the unit? How often do you have to replenish the mouthpieces, and what is the cost/delay in getting such products.

Alarms:
Some products have an audible alarm which is great when you are under the influence or under dim light conditions.

Brands:
Read reviews of the brands/models of breath analyzers you are buying. Some of the brands include Alcohawk, AlcoScan Breathalyzer, Q3i, BreathKey, and others.

The good news is that some of the car models (e.g. Toyota) may soon be equipped with alcohol testers, which would disallow the car from starting.

The bad news is that driving with elevated BAC is not only cause for arrest and imprisonment, but also can be very deadly, causing up to 50% of fatal automobile accidents. The good news is that now there are easy ways to test your BAC using a digital alcohol tester, that can be purchased on the internet. So do save yours and someone else’s life. Do not drink and drive, or if you drink, use a tester to help determine if you are ok to drive, but as always rely on your own common sense.