Personal Breathalyzers Gaining Popularity

PALM DESERT – For some, it’s a conversation piece at a bar. Passing around a personal breathalyzer to see who’s drunk. The devices, once used only by police, are widely available to the public. Not only as a novelty item, but for people who are worried about driving drunk. The market for personal breathalyzers is up from a $23 millionindustry in 2005 to a $215 millionindustry now.

“This is a very exciting technology that people will begin to adopt in far greater numbers than they have already,” says Susan Eustis with Wintergreen Research.

But, are they reliable? Melissa Desmarais with the Palm Springs Police Department says the breathalyzers they use are tested for accuracy on a weekly basis, and it’s only one tool to determine whether someone is drunk.

“It’s a good thing in the sense that people are now taking into consideration the fact that if they’ve had too much to drink, that they know they shouldn’t be driving. But they definitely shouldn’t rely on a single tool,” Desmarais says.

Most consumer-grade breathalyzers are not as sophisticated as the ones police use. That’s why Jim Leisten uses his own judgement before getting behind the wheel.

“If somebody wants to be responsible enough to have one I think they’re a good tool to have but it still falls back on the individual being responsible enough not to drink and drive,” Leisten says.