New Zealand’s Most Comprehensive Personal Breathalyzer Range

Once you have been charged with a high range drink driving offence, you may be required to have an Interlock device attached to your car. This requires the driver to blow into a device to prove they are sober before the car will start. A personal breathalyzer can be useful to check the BAC before blowing into the interlock device. Those with multiple DUI’s may have a zero-alcohol limit. A personal breathalyzer is a vital tool for these people. It will prevent further fines and/or disqualification and may actually be a condition of bail in some cases. If it is a first-time high range offence, a breathalyzer may stop the escalation of the fine/disqualification.

Breathalyzers come in a range of styles and sizes. Small compact keychain models, like the BACtrack C6 or C8 are useful for when you are on the go. Larger, more sturdy models are useful for the workplace or to keep in a glove box or at home.

Firstly, you need to work out which best suits your needs. Think about what you are mainly going to be using it for. If it is just the odd quick test while out at a bar or restaurant, then maybe a lower cost semi-conductor sensor model such as the Go Keychain is best. These are small and portable but are still effective.

If you require extra accuracy and will mainly be using it at home or it in your glovebox then a larger Xtend® fuel cell model may be the most beneficial option.

You do get what you pay for when it comes to breathalyzers. There are some very cheap models on the market, but they are essentially novelty toys. Buy the best breathalyzer that you can afford that gives you the most certainty and value. Breathalyzers with an Xtend® fuel cell sensor are more accurate than semi-conductor models. These are however a little more expensive.

Look for a breathalyzer that has an accuracy rating of +/- 0.005% or less. If a company offers 100% accuracy don’t buy it as that is impossible.

Buy a breathalyzer that has an attached mouthpiece to blow into instead of a “passive” breathalyzer that simply analyses your breath as you speak over it. The mouthpiece helps eliminate airborne contaminants, dust, and other impurities that may affect the accuracy of the reading. All BACtrack model units use dishwasher friendly and reusable mouthpieces.

Always buy your personal breathalyzer from a reputable company with readily available product information and product testing results. These should all be easy to find on a website and all testing should be able to be backed up with certified proof of the results.

A breathalyzer can also be a useful tool for parents of teenagers. If they are concerned about their alcohol use, parents can use a breathalyzer to check up on their teens BAC. BACtrack has a unique iOS to iOS remote monitoring option called the BACtrack View. Parents can randomly schedule their children to take alcohol test. The tests are verified and sent back to the parents phone.

A breathalyzer can also be useful if you are supervising a learner driver. In New Zealand, the supervising driver needs to have a 0.00% alcohol level. Maybe you had a glass of wine at lunch and your learner wants to drive in the afternoon. A breathalyzer will let you know when you are back down to the limit required to be able to supervise.

Personal breathalyzers are a great way to learn more about your body and the way that it metabolizes alcohol in different situations. Smartphone breathalyzers are particularly useful for this. The BACtrack C6, C8 and Mobile can keep a history of your drinking and your BAC over time. This is done via a free app. This process can also be used if you are trying to actively reduce the amount of alcohol you are consuming over time.

You can also connect to Apple Health and see how your alcohol consumption has affected other areas of your life such as sleep patterns. Learning more about your body’s reaction to alcohol can help you make better decisions about alcohol overall.

A personal breathalyzer is an important tool for those who have been impacted by long term alcohol abuse. Making yourself accountable to other people is a great way to stop drinking. Once others are involved in the process you are less likely to “cheat”.

Always keep your breathalyzer in its carry pouch when not being used. This will mainly protect it from dust but also from being damaged.

If your breathalyzer requires recalibration, make sure you do this within the required timeframe. This will extend its lifetime and will ensure that it stays accurate.

Do not blow into your breathalyzer if you are well and truly intoxicated. If you are that drunk, you don’t need to know if you are safe to drive or not, you are not safe to drive. Blowing on the sensor with an extremely high alcohol concentration in your breath can also damage the sensor. Your breathalyzer should not be used for party games. The user should always wait 15 minutes after drinking before blowing into the breathalyzer.