If you sometimes drink alcohol before driving, you might have considered buying a personal Breathalyzer. You can find one on the internet for around $40 upwards.
That might seem like a great investment, and if it prevents you from getting arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI), it certainly would be. Yet here is why you should not rush out and get one straight away:
You shouldn’t be drinking and driving in the first place
That might sound like a moral judgment, yet research shows that any amount of alcohol will harm your ability to drive – as it will for anyone. A breath testing machine might tempt you to believe you are OK.
Remember being under the limit does not necessarily mean you are OK to drive. It just means you are below the legally determined point where the police can automatically give you a DWI.
Your reduced driving ability will still increase the risk you crash. Moreover, even if you do not crash, the police could charge you with a lesser drunk driving offense if they see evidence that alcohol has affected your driving.
Your machine may not be accurate
Even the police machines can sometimes be wrong, especially if not regularly calibrated. That is one of the defense options you might need to use if charged with a DWI.
If you are buying a cheaper machine on the internet, it is likely even less reliable. The police have little to lose if their machine is wrong. You have everything to lose if yours is wrong, and you then test over the limit on their machine.
If you face a DWI charge, telling the court your machine said you were under will not hold much sway. You’ll need legal help to discover what might.
