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Tuesday, January 6, 2009
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Booze breath testers installed |
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Written by FRANK PEEBLES
Citizen staff
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Monday, 02 June 2008 |
Co-owner Benita Le Morvan demonstrates the Breath Alcohol Tester at the Generator. (Citizen photo by David Mah)
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A handful of Prince George bars and pubs have installed breath alcohol tester machines. Patrons plunk a coin in the slot, receive a pre-wrapped straw, insert it into a monitor hole and blow for a certain amount of time at a certain amount of force. The machine gives clear instructions. Once you are done blowing your breath sample, a light will turn on in one of four categories from "No alcohol detected" all the way up to "Do not drive."
The breath testers are not endorsed by police, but if it is done properly you will get a reasonably close estimate of your impairment.
"If you can't blow a proper reading it is better if you take a taxi," said Michael Le Morvan who, with partner Benita Le Morvan, is the distributor of the machines in B.C.
Prince George is the first city in the province to have the machines. Other breath testers have been installed in other bars, but these are the first that use the same technology as the RCMP's roadside screening devices. So far they are at the Generator, the Cadillac Ranch, Tabor Arms Pub, Westwood Pub and Pumphouse Pub with more considering the units.
"It is not a toy, it is not a gimmick," said Benita. "This is accurate. It can't be considered a legal indication, but it does give you some knowledge to go along with your own judgment. We want to keep everyone as safe as possible, so here is another way."
You have to wait at least five minutes after your last drink, or your mouth will be filled with ambient alcohol traces and give you a false high reading. One bar operator took the test during a visit with The Citizen and found it perfectly reflected his alcohol intake.
"It doesn't cost the establishment anything to have the machine on the wall, unless they want to buy their own," said Michael Le Morvan "We want people to become more conscious about their alcohol and their limits because it's a culture in Prince George, people think they can drink and drive and we want to stop that."
RCMP Staff Sgt. Gord Flewelling said the machines are welcome if they promote road safety but he has some concerns. The five-minute wait is one of them. When Mounties stop someone, they wait 17 minutes before administering a breath test. They don't want ambient mouth alcohol giving them a false reading, but they also want to ensure the suspect's buzz is in full effect.
"You may have had a drink and your body has not ingested all the alcohol when you blow into the instrument, so by the time you get down the road a ways, that is when it is starting to take effect," Flewelling said.
"I don't know the quality of these machines and I would certainly not gauge my drinking patterns on these machines. The best idea is don't put yourself in the position of having a drink then getting behind the wheel. Have a designated driver."
The stakes for impaired driving are getting higher, if the threat of death and injury isn't enough. B.C.'s Solicitor General announced in February that authorities can now order the forfeiture of vehicles owned by habitual impaired drivers, whether they are involved in a crash or not.
Seizing vehicles is another in a list of consequences against impaired drivers, including loss of license, fines, jail time, cost of any damage done and the suspect's legal costs.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 October 2008 )
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