Usually a breathalyzer is the last thing you want to see after a night of revelry. But a new pocket-sized, consumer-targeted breathalyzer device called the AlcoHawk Slim Ultra, as described in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, just might save someone's life.
If it catches on and goes into heavy use, the small devices could cut into Chicago DUI lawyers' business. And at $69.99, they're much cheaper than paying the fines, legal fees and other costs associated with a DUI.
The cost of ownership is a little higher than the initial price tag, since the devices must be calibrated at least once a year (depending on how often it's used), which costs between $19.99 and $29.99. The Iowa company's Web site suggests that customers who use it a few times a month would need to calibrate the AlcoHawk every six months.
But still, that's a heck of a lot cheaper than the alternative.
Post-Dispatch reporter Evan S. Benn, who received a test unit, said he took it for a "test spin" in his living room. He ate what he described as a "normal-size" dinner before consuming three 12-ounce beers averaging about 8 percent alcohol content each in the span of two hours. After one hour, he registered a .08 percent on the AlcoHawk, the legal limit in Missouri and Illinois.
He drank another beer an hour later, raising his blood-alcohol content slightly to .09 percent. He switched to water and tried it again after another hour, blowing a .09 again. His review was positive and he said it helps eliminate the guesswork of determining when you've had too much:
The bottom line: I'd rather be caught blowing into a personal breathalyzer at the end of a night than be doing it on the side of a road while a police officer tests me for DWI.
While such a device holds great promise, Chicago DUI attorneys always will be valuable allies when a night on the town goes awry.
Related Resources:
-
Drunk Driving: Elements of the Offense (FindLaw)
-
Breathalyzer Testing Questioned, Again, In Florida (FindLaw KnowledgeBase)
-
Find a Chicago DUI Lawyer (FindLaw)
