This is the official blog of AlcoDigital.com. Written by Suzannah Deith, AlcoDigital are the largest supplier of Digital Breathalysers and Breathalyzer Alcohol Detectors to Companies, Private Individuals and Law Enforcement throughout the UK. The UK website is http://www.AlcoDigital.co.uk
With alcohol testing having been introduced in 1965, (the middle of the swinging sixties!) – it’s a wonder it has taken this long for drug testing to become a mainstream issue.
There are a variety of kits out there – from the simple Draeger Oral Drug Check (a saliva-testing kit giving on the spot diagnosis of 6 classes of illegal substances – perfect for random testing ‘on the move’), to the latest Draeger Drug Test 5000 Analyzer - the first opto-electronic device available for portable and onsite testing.
With all the talk that has been going on recently in the UK about lowering the overall drink-drive limit, some countries have taken it a step further.
Cyprus has announced plans to be introduced to reduce the permitted breathalyser levels of alcohol in certain drivers (“Breathalyser limits cut for certain types of drivers“, Cyprus Mail 16 June 2010), specifically:
New drivers (upto a year)
HGV drivers
Drivers transporting dangerous goods
Motorcyclists
Taxis
It sounds fairly similar to our own UK legislation which dictates anyone working in Airlines, Maritime or Rail are subject to a reduced permitted level.
The difference is, Cyprus has recognised the more vulnerable drivers (the inexperienced, the bikers) and the ones that potentially could cause the most catastrophic scenarios (the fuel-transporter etc) and has taken steps to try and protect both them, and their potential victims.
People are strange. They wouldn’t scrimp on the quality of the brakes on their cars, or hesitate to replace a bald tyre, because they know the results could be catastrophic. But when it comes to buying a device that could help save a life (if it means a taxi home instead of ‘risking it’) – they baulk.
There is generally a very good reason why some detectors are so cheap – they are made in China or Korea using cheap parts and labour, where quantity and turnover over-rides quality and assurance. They have no certification – it would cost too much to even put them through the process, not that they would pass the UK’s stringent checks anyway.
If you can, it’s best to aim high. These would be my top 3 recommended devices for the Personal User:
In 3rd place, the AlcoHawk Pro.
Top of the range semi-conductor, comes in a hard case with 12v adaptor.
With careful use and regular service, expect a life of approximately 24 months.
Next up – the PT500.
Entry level Fuel Cell device, gives readings in 4 types of units, although NOT the UK Police Standard of microgrammes.
Careful use and regular calibrations should give a life of about 24-36 months.
And finally…
The AlcoDigital 3000.
Uses the same fuel cell sensor and casing as the Police Approved Draeger 6510.
Gives readings in microgrammes per 100ml (the UK Police Standard).
Average life span will equal that of the 6510 – we’ve had one in our workshops since 2003, and it’s still going strong after 4000 tests.
The wave of sunshine the UK experienced in the last couple of weeks announced my favourite time of year – let the summer barbecue season begin!
With the days longer and warmer, the weekend rally of families migrating to their favourite ‘foodie’ friends homes for sunshine, sizzlers and sangria takes over from the winter nights of staying in at home. Only trouble is, when is the designated driver established? Sometimes that part (along with cooking times for chicken) can be a little hit and miss.
It’s probably easier to have something on hand to check – we have a wide range of digital alcohol detectors and actual people to answer the phone in response to your queries (unlike some of our answer-phone reliant competitors).
We CAN do cheap and cheerful, but we’d rather you have something you can rely on. Something with a sensor that WILL last more than just over the 12 month warranty. Something using the same sensor as the units the majority of roadside testing police use. Something like the AlcoDigital 3000 – we’ll even throw in a 2 year parts & labour guarantee.
Now surely that’s got to taste better than the food you get inside?
As we enter the season of longer daylight hours and summer parties, so we are joined by the summer drink-drive campaigns. A few of my current faves – no doubt to be re-assessed in the next 6 months, their message is crystal clear:
Mmm, to be introduced at a watering hole near you…?
Succinct.
Clever, not sure the tag line at the bottom was necessary, but then again…
The standard line-up, and now introducing my own personal favourite…
Now that’s clever.
If in doubt, use a breathalyzer. And that includes the morning after.
Having got our trademark a few months ago, after 18 months of talks and planning and hoping and waiting, we can finally introduce the new member of our family – our very own AlcoDigital 3000 Digital Breathalyzer!
Not normally being the type to blow our own trumpets, this time there’s a real reason to. Simply put, we KNOW this is THE most accurate Personal Detector on the market. The reason we know this? Only that it is produced for us by the world’s most accurate PROFESSIONAL detector manufacturers, Draeger - the very same Draeger that produces the majority of the Police devices used throughout the UK and worldwide.
None of that cheap and nasty ‘phone-like’ styled units made in China, not for us, no siree. This is the first unit we are happy to put our name and reputation to; so much so we’re giving a 2 year warranty with it. Don’t find that much nowadays, eh?
Manufactured in Germany, the unit uses the same sensor as the Home Office approved Draeger 6510, but without the memory recall or unit setting functions. Finally there exists a device for the Personal Market that can be used KNOWING its reliability and durability will not be questioned. It’s a relief to be frank, that we can hand on heart sell something knowing that it is the device that WE would use on a night out. (in fact there has been some extensive field testing, but that’s a different story…)
Think of it like the iPod or the Dyson – sometimes, a product comes out that re-defines the expectations of the market. This is that product.
Did you realise there are different limits for different occupations? Whilst most people will know that the UK Drink Drive limit is 0.08%BAC (also known as 35 microgrammes in ‘today’s money’), what you may NOT realise is that there are further restrictions dependent on how you make your living.
Legislation was passed in 2003 affecting Rail, Maritime & Airline employees, making it an offence for those working in these areas to report to work with more than 0.02%BAC or 9 microgrammes per 100ml. That’s a quarter of the UK drink drive limit. Amongst others, it includes the guys that weed the railway lines, the fellow that cleans the galleys onboard, the cabin crew that serve you your Gin & Tonic.
And whilst I would hesitate to infer that anyone deliberately has a drink before going to work, for those working shifts, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that a late night out followed by an early start would leave them in danger of losing their jobs. Even if they don’t even live in the UK. As Erwin Washington, US pilot for United Airlines found out (“US Pilot Admits Heathrow Drink Charge”, Guardian 05/01/10)
One of the most confusing things about the range of breathalyzers out there is they all seem to read in different units - fine if you work in the industry but perhaps a little confusing otherwise.
We have a Driver Info page on our website to help you try and decipher the various readings, and most importantly what the UK limit would be displayed as. Once you know what measurement it is that your device reads in, then common sense will hopefully prevail in deciding whether or not you are ok to drive.
We also enclose our own Manuals with most of the devices we sell which spell out in plain English what you have bought, how to use it, what your unit reads in, and what the UK Drink Drive limit would be displayed as. Hopefully this helps. Certainly they make more sense than some of the manuals provided by the manufacturers (given the mainly Chinese origins of most them!).
In essence, there are about 4 main types of measurement unit (think miles/kilometres/inches/centimetres etc), as follows:
%BAC – this is the ‘old style’ UK Police reading, used in a lot of the cheaper Personal devices (eg Slim 2, Precision etc). UK Drink Drive limit would be displayed as 0.08 (or simply 08 in the more basic units)
mg/100ml (also known as Promile or ‰BAC) – popularly used by the Police in the USA, current UK drink drive limit would be displayed as 0.80 or 080. Currently found on the AlcoHawk Pro and AlcoSense Elite amongst others.
mg/L – pretty rare although more commonly found on the cheaper Korean devices, the UK limit would be displayed as 0.40.
Microgrammes per 100ml (µg/100ml) – reading most commonly used by the UK Police force and found on our Home Office Approved devices by Draeger such as the 6810. Current UK Limit would be displayed as 35.
Oh and as an aside, the UK Limit is not a target. You WILL lose your licence if you’re caught over it. Hopefully that would be the ONLY thing you’d lose.
Most people don’t want to spend say, £100 on a device to test whether they’re fit to drive. But let’s look at the actual costs of drinking and driving ( – and being caught…)
Towed vehicle – if you’re stopped, and found to be over the limit, chances are your vehicle is not going to be taken home courtesy of the Police. It will be towed and impounded, for which you will have to pay a fee for its release (providing you find someone to drive back for you, that is)
Legal Fees – to fight a drink-drive conviction, or even to just try and reduce the outcome of an admitted offence, you’ll need a lawyer. Legal Aid won’t come to your help here. That’s going to hurt the wallet. First Offence you’re probably looking at a couple of grand, 2nd offence or further – sky’s the limit.
Insurance. It’s a no-brainer – you have now officially entered the High Risk Category. And if it’s a teen that’s been caught, the Insurers could withdaw the entire household vehicle cover unless a legal guarantee is made that the offender will not drive ANY of the household vehicles. In any case, your premiums will at least triple. Ouch.
Future banking. Do not be under any illusion, a drink-drive conviction is a Criminal Offence. Those forms you complete for student loans, new bank accounts, hey even job applications? They all want to know about Criminal Offences. And this one counts.
Suddenly that £100 breathalyzer doesn’t seem as expensive as originally thought, eh?
It is vital to leave at least 15 minutes after your last drink before testing for 2 good reaons:
If you give a sample immediately after finishing a drink, the only reading you will get will be the mouth/alcohol content, not the Breath/Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). It’s only after the alcohol has passed through your stomach into your blood stream, from which the oxygen is drawn into your lungs when you produce a breath, that you get a ‘true’ reading of your intoxication. There’s good reason why the Police wait 15 minutes on a PROFESSIONAL device (which is designed to withstand a far higher use than the average semi-conductor unit)
…to safeguard your sensor! You wouldn’t buy a car and drive it at 60 in 1st, so don’t expect your breathalyzer to withstand high intensity use outside the recommended parameters. Too many drunken samples inside the 15 minute rule will kill a sensor quicker than anything. And that’s NOT covered by the warranty…
And by the way – the reading you get after 15 minutes? Don’t forget it can go up as well as down. Depending on the drink of choice and your metabolism, chances are your alcohol reading will continue to rise for at least an hour after your last drink. Give your liver a chance to process it too!
The UK’s largest specialist in the alcohol detector and digital breathalyser market, we are the official UK distributors for the AlcoDigital 3000, Draeger UK, AlcoHawk, KPro, AlcoHit, and AlcoSense. With the backup of our technical workshop for service and calibration, we offer the complete breathalyzer package.
