At-home breathalyzers have grown in popularity over the last few years as technology advances. But how reliable are at-home breathalyzing devices?
The answer is it depends.
What affects their accuracy?
At-home breathalyzers can be a great way to check your blood alcohol content (BAC) before driving or engaging in other activities that require sobriety.
However, it’s essential to understand what affects their accuracy. The most crucial factor is the quality of the device itself. When used correctly, top-rated devices are accurate to a 0.001% margin of error, meaning that they can detect trace amounts of alcohol and are comparable in accuracy to the machines used by law enforcement.
In addition, user technique can affect the accuracy of an at-home breathalyzer. To get an accurate reading, you should wait at least 20 minutes after your last drink before testing and make sure you blow into the device for at least 5 seconds with steady, deep breaths. If you don’t follow these instructions, your results may not be as accurate as they could be.
Finally, environmental factors such as temperature and humidity can also affect the accuracy of an at-home breathalyzer. If you’re using a device outside or in a place with extreme temperatures or high humidity levels, it’s best to take your reading indoors, where conditions are more stable.
In addition to accuracy issues, the reliability of at-home breathalyzers also depends on proper maintenance and calibration. If not properly maintained, these devices may not provide accurate readings.
It’s important to remember that even with an accurate reading from an at-home breathalyzer, you should never rely solely on this device to determine whether or not you are safe to drive after drinking alcohol. While they can be a valuable tool for measuring BAC levels, they should never be used as a substitute for good judgment when it comes to drinking and driving or engaging in other activities that require sobriety.
If you’ve been in a car accident with someone who was driving intoxicated, you may be able to receive restitution for any injuries or property damage you’ve sustained.
