Are you leaving a party after having a few glasses of wine or beer and feeling anxious about getting behind the wheel? Are you afraid of getting pulled over and failing a police officer’s breathalyzer test? You can now test your blood alcohol content (BAC) using your iPhone. Three different iPhone apps have been developed to measure the effect of the amount of alcohol you have consumed. The user must be at least seventeen years of age in order to download and install any of these iPhone apps.
The Last Call by Avvo, Inc. is a free iPhone app that calculates a user’s blood alcohol content by allowing him or her to monitor their blood alcohol level with each drink consumed. You enter each drink into your Last Call log in the same way as you would use an app to keep track of nutrition or exercise data. As you consume each drink the app will update the total amount instantly. Your total blood alcohol content will identify high levels of blood alcohol. This is particularly helpful if you have had one too many drinks and you don’t feel comfortable getting behind the wheel. This app also has a feature that connects the user with local taxi cab companies. Last Call will also connect you with the top DUI attorneys in the area should you find yourself in a sticky situation with the local authorities. The Last Call app can also be used on an iPad or iPod Touch.
While the Last Call is a good idea, it would not be a reliable solution to tell you when you are impaired since you, the impaired one, are responsible for entering the data while you are drinking.
BreathalEyes
BreathalEyes blood alcohol content scanner is available for $1.99 and is designed for iPhones and iPads from developer Xplor Apps, LLC. This app only works on intoxicated users. It is designed to measure blood alcohol content by scanning the user’s eye and analyzing the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN). Nystagmus is involuntary twitching and movement of the eyeball that occurs after an individual becomes tipsy. The brain function and faculty control is impaired and an individual’s eyeball bounces horizontally. BreathalEyes is able to display a user’s blood alcohol content with an effective range of 0.02% to 0.20% by analyzing the spontaneous eyeball bobbles. The developer claims that there is more than four decades of research behind this technology. Major benefits of the BreathalEyes app include the fact that it does not require a network connection and the app does not clutter your screen with any advertisements. There is an option to share your BreathalEyes results publicly on social networks. The BreathalEyes app will not record your data unless you choose to share it. This app works best on iPhone 4 or later devices.
If the technology behind BreathalEyes is reliable then it may be a good solution for measuring blood alcohol content. The folks over at Huff Post tested the app and got some mixed results and stated “we found that, while the app reliably gave higher scores to those who were boozing than those who were abstaining, it still gave a 0.05 BAC to several ladies and gents who were stone-cold sober.” However, the BreathalEyes website clearly says it only works on intoxicated people.
The one drawback to BreathalEyes is that you cannot measure yourself and must have another person available to scan your eye with the phone camera.
The Breathometer device is available for preorder through its own website and is a $49.00 add-on device designed for most smartphones. Breathometer links onto a key chain or slips right into your pocket. You plug the Breathometer device into the audio jack of your smartphone when you want to use it. Once the device is plugged in you simply exhale into the device in order to test the blood alcohol concentration level on your breath. Using the Breathometer is a fun way to test your blood alcohol level. You can also share your Breathometer with friends and let them test it out. An added bonus is that the device is sleek and looks fashionable on your key chain.
The Breathometer seems to solve the user issues of the two previous apps since it can give the answer without the help of data input or another person. The drawback is having to carry a device in addition to your phone while it is small and does fit on a keychain, you are still responsible for having the device when you need it.
Your Phone – No app necessary
If you are questioning your ability to drive, the most reliable solution is to use your phone as a phone and call a cab or a friend to pick you up.
