Portable meter
warns drinkers
of one too many
By Steve Hoyt
Of Ihe Kmnrald
With Oregon’s new, more
strict drunken driving laws now
in force,, deciding whether to
drive after drinking could be a
difficult decision.
There’s a new product on the
market that may make this deci
sion easier — the No-Drive
Meter.
The No-Drive Meter is
basically a portable, disposable
breathalizer. The device is con
structed of a 4-inch glass tube
with three yellow rings, a
plastic mouthpiece and a red
balloon.
To use the device, a person
blows into the balloon, then at
taches it to either end of the
tube. After 60 seconds, the
number of yellow rings that
turn green will indicate the
alcohol content of the person’s
blood. One green ring warns
drinkers “to be cautious," two
rings means “no drive," and
three says “please no drive.”
A breathalizer that is usable
by the general public is not a
new idea. Many Oregon bars
have coin-operated breathalizer
machines that tell the user if he
or she is too drunk to drive.
Daniel Moore, of the Kugene
Police Department’s Crime
Prevention Unit, is not familiar
with the No-Drive Meter but
knows about this type of pro
duct. Moore says that portable,
citizen-use breathalizers are OK
but are not extremely accurate
methods of determining
whether a person is legally
sober enough to drive.
Moore says he would not
recommend use of portable
breathalizers because they give
drinkers “a false sense of
security.” An inexperienced
drinker, a tired person, or some
one who is using a decongestant
may take less alcohol to
become drunk, he says. In these
cases, the product would incor
rectly tell the user that it was
safe to drive, Moore says.
A more effective and safer
way to deal with drinking and
driving, he says, is to have one
person in the group not drink at
all — a “designated driver."
Moore notes that a »
breathalizer is not the only way
to get a rough idea as to whether
a person has had too much to
i drink. One ounce of 80-proof
distilled liquor, a 12-ounce bot
tle of beer, and a 4-ounce glass
of wine each represent a .02 per
cent blood/alcohol level in the
body.
Four such drinks in one hour
give a person a blood/alcohol
level of .08 percent — making
him or her legally drunk under
Oregon law. The body burns off
approximately one drink per
hour.
The No-Drive Meter costs
$1.95 and is available at many
drug and department stores.
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