Tis the season to head out for holiday fun and have a few drinks with friends. It’s a busy time of year, full of shopping and parties, and with your holiday to-do list full of errands and gifts you need to pick up, the one thing you don’t want to end up with is a drinking and driving charge. That’s why more and more people are choosing to put the gift of a portable breathalyzer under the tree.
Pocket breathalyzers like the Alcohoot, a smartphone-powered breathalyzer, are being promoted this year as great stocking stuffers or holiday gifts.
Why would a pocket breathalyzer make a great gift? In a nutshell, it makes a person think about the consequences of drinking and driving. Maybe they’d consider how one drink can affect their coordination or vision enough that they could cause an alcohol-related crash. A breathalyzer may also make the person you give it to realize, even if they’re registering within the legal limit, they shouldn’t be drinking at all if they are going to drive.
The bonus with a pocket breathalyzer like the Alcohoot is that it works with your smartphone via an app. Most people already have their smartphones with them when they’re out with friends, so it’s easy to check your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) when you’re busy having fun.
Pocket breathalyzers could also work to save someone from receiving a holiday gift that no one wants – a driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) conviction. If they are convicted of drinking and driving, they may be required to use an ignition interlock device, and that device will stop them from driving even if they only measure a state mandated BAC as low as .02.
By checking their BAC before they decide to drive after drinking, the person using the pocket breathalyzer will make other arrangements to get home. To make it easy for the person using the pocket breathalyzer, the Alcohoot also includes a link to Uber to find a sober driver easily.
If you’re looking for a last minute gift and you’re not sure what to pick up for a friend, you might want to consider a pocket breathalyzer. It’s a small device, fairly inexpensive, easy to carry, and it has the power to save a life.
