New Breathalyzer App Can Call You a Cab

Author: Justin Mckibben

Drunk driving is just the worst. Seriously, the impact that drunk drivers have on those they endanger and harm by getting behind the wheel while intoxicated and subsequently causing accidents is so severe, and can quite often be avoided.

Anyone who has been arrested a few times or knows someone who has is familiar with breathalyzers. There is even one installed in vehicles of chronically reckless people who have one too many DUI’s that tests them for being drunk before they can even start their engines.

With all these concepts in mind, it is no wonder how even more innovations have started to pop up that are actually more geared toward prevention rather than punishment. Breeze is a new breathalyzer app designed for keeping drunk drivers off the street, and will hopefully make a bigger difference in this digital age.

Breeze Checks BAC

The new Breeze app is actually Bluetooth compatible, and when using the individual would blow into a portable breathalyzer which pairs to a smartphone. If Breeze measures the user as over the legal limit and determines it’s not safe to get behind the wheel, the app places a call to a public transportation service.

Brian Sturdivant is the vice president of marketing, and in a recent interview he stated that the Breeze device will help drinkers make the right decision, and even assist them in getting connected to the safer alternative. Sturdivant said,

“This is really about consumer awareness and being able to make the right decision and learn more about yourself.”

This amazing and possibly life-saving app will be available as of the 1^st of November at Best Buy for just $100. Breeze works by measuring blood alcohol content (BAC) with an electrochemical fuel cell sensor. Results from this BAC test are transmitted to the app via the breathalyzer. The program even calculates and transmits an estimate of how much time it will take the individuals body to metabolize the alcohol in their system.

Taking the risk prevention tactic even a step further, Breeze also syncs with Apple’s HealthKit platform and uses this to keep tracks of the user’s BAC as well as other vital signs.

Calling For Back Up

While similar products are currently on the market, Breeze stands apart by its ability to get the user home safely. The higher BAC reading triggers a “get home safe” screen with a button that launches the smartphone ride service’s app. Uber is the transportation company that allows customers to request a ride right from their phones, and with the help of Breeze they are sure to be bringing in a lot more business.

But the app is not limited to the Uber service however. While Breeze can be programmed to automatically contact Uber, it can also be set to use the review site Yelp to find local cab companies to hail a ride. Or even to access a user’s phone contact list so they can call a friend for a ride. Once more, if the individual doesn’t want to go home straight home, then Breeze has the ability to locate a hotel.

Brian Sturdivant also spoke very adamantly about how Breeze will let users know exactly where they stand and whether or not they should drive, acknowledging the common issue that people will forget how much they have had to drink, or insist that they should be fine to drive.

“It’s 10:30, do you really know how many glasses of wine you’ve had or where you are? This allows you and others to quickly check and [decide] should I Uber home, should I take a cab or am I good to go?”

Hopefully this new app will actually avert alcohol related accidents and other serious injury, death and DUI’s by letting the average individual make an attempt to monitor their drinking, and going the extra mile beyond what other similar functions do by calling for help wherever you are. Although if you need an app like this enough that you are paying $100 for it, maybe you are too intoxicated too often, and you should consider a more serious problem.

Drinking and driving is by far one of the most dangerous and careless things people can do to endanger not only themselves, but the lives of others. And sometimes if you find yourself facing the repercussions of drunk driving, it means there is a much more serious issue at the root of the problem. If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call toll-free 1-800-951-6135