Could Mobile Breathalyzers Prevent Drunk Driving Crashes in Colorado?

In an ongoing effort to prevent car crashes and save lives, officials at the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) are currently conducting a study to see how access to mobile breathalyzer devices could impact motorists’ decisions to drive after drinking alcohol.

The hope is that, through this study, Colorado motorists will:

• Realize that even just a few drinks can be enough to put them over the legal limit and impair their abilities to safely drive
• Make safer, more responsible choices after drinking alcohol and, in doing so, help reduce drunk driving accidents and deaths.

Details of the Study

Partnering with BACtrack,¹ CDOT will be studying the choices made by about 200 participants over the course  of this summer. The participants, who were selected at random at the end of July 2016, have been given smartphone-activated breathalyzer devices (BACtrack Mobile breathalyzers). These can reportedly be used to test blood alcohol content (BAC) levels after consuming alcohol – and hopefully before the study’s participants decide whether to drive after they have been drinking.

To evaluate how (or whether) access to these mobile breathalyzers will promote safer choices, the participants will be asked to complete three short online surveys over the course of August. The surveys will specifically ask about “drinking habits, driving and their breathalyzer use.”

Providing more insight into officials’ perspective regarding this study, CDOT Communications Manager Sam Cole has explained that:

This [study] is a unique opportunity for both participants and CDOT to gain insights about drinking tendencies, and to see how a breathalyzer can improve decision-making… We hope that smartphone breathalyzers can help drinkers know their own limits and make the safe decision about driving.

Stacey Sachs, a Vice President at BACtrack, similarly noted that:

We believe that technology combined with knowledge is a powerful tool… [that] can help people make the right decisions — especially during the summer months when it’s relaxing to sit outside and enjoy a few drinks.

Preliminary results of this study are expected to be available as soon as September 2016.

Would you use a mobile breathalyzer to check your BAC before driving? Do you think these devices could be effective at reduce drunk driving crashes and saving lives? Share your opinions and comments with us on Facebook & Google+.

Get Experienced Help Recovering from an Auto Wreck: Contact Englewood Attorney D.J. Banovitz

If you have been hurt in a drunk driving accident – or in any type of traffic crash, contact Englewood Attorney D.J. Banovitz for honest answers about your options for compensation and justice. Since 1994, Attorney D.J. Banovitz has been dedicated to zealously representing people injured in motor vehicle accidents, protecting their rights as he works diligently to help them obtain the best possible outcome to their case.

To discuss your potential case and options for justice, contact Attorney D.J. Banovitz by calling (303) 300-5060 or by sending our firm an email via the contact form on this page.

From offices based in Englewood, Colorado, Attorney D.J. Banovitz provides the highest quality representation to injured people throughout Arapahoe County, Denver County, Douglas County and the state of Colorado.

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1: A company that makes breathalyzers used by Colorado law enforcement agencies