Many popular bars have a new fixture on their walls flashing lights and emitting sounds, but it is not another lighted beer sign or jukebox. More and more bars in Tuscaloosa have been installing breathalyzer machines in the hopes of deterring drinking and driving.
These machines have become a popular fixture in the numerous bars in Birmingham and are just now moving into Tuscaloosa, thanks to advertising by the company that is selling them.
“It’s only a dollar so it seemed like a good way to make a little extra money while having fun,” said Eric Blaylock, owner of The Filling Station. “Hopefully it’s an extra incentive for the customers to not drink and drive.”
Since The Filling Station installed the machine about a month ago, they’ve been surprised by how few people use it. They have their machine located next to the door, an ideal location for people who want to use it before they decide if they are OK to drive home, but not a place with a lot of foot traffic.
“We figured if we put it by the door and people were using it as they were leaving, they wouldn’t use it as some sort of drinking game,” he said.
Of the people who have been using the machine, he said about 50 percent have been using them for responsibility and 50 percent have been using it just for fun.
Rounders, another popular Tuscaloosa bar, has not had the problem of low usage but they have seen breathalyzer machines used primarily for drinking games. Since they installed their machine about a month ago they have had people using it every night but it hasn’t been to decide if they are safe to drive home.
“People get really excited about it when they see the machine, but it’s just a novelty,” said Patrick Fowler, a bartender at Rounders. “We installed it to have fun ourselves.”
Customers at Rounders have been using it to test their limits, to satisfy their curiosity and to see which of their friends is more intoxicated by the end of the night. Fowler said this is better, because he has noticed that the results are not exactly accurate.
“We’ve seen people who were very drunk but blew a .07. There is no way that was right,” he said.
Blaylock said the company who owns the machines made it clear that they have to be calibrated and recalibrated often in order to maintain accuracy. When the machine is calibrated correctly it is supposed to come up with a reading that has .01 margin of error in blood alcohol level, the same accuracy that breathalyzers at police stations have.
The machines come with a disclaimer posted above them that says they are to be used just for fun to ensure that if customers are pulled over later they can’t use a reading put out by a machine as a legal defense.
To use the breathalyzer in the bar customers pay one dollar, the machine counts down from 10 and then they use a straw to blow into the machine for about five seconds. If the reading comes up as .08 or lower the numbers flash green and it’s OK to drive. Any number higher than .08 will flash in red, and it’s not recommended that that person drive.
To get the most accurate results it is recommended that people don’t drink within 10 minutes of testing themselves.
