Don’t drink and drive: use the Floome Breathalyzer(review)

2045Tech recently provided me with a Floome breathalyzer to review as an alternative to doing blood alcohol content(BAC) levels based on height and weight. I jumped at the opportunity, because I am a social drinker and don’t ever want to drive drunk. It’s simply not worth the consequences. For many, it is easy to say, “I’m good to drive. It’s just five minutes away” when they are drinking, but those five minutes can be life changing.

If you get caught over the legal limit for a first time offender in California, according to Nolo,(laws vary from state to state) and you did not cause a crash, you can get off easy with a $390 fine plus over $1000 in penalty assessments. It doesn’t stop there with an additional DUI-only $1800 in penalties, a 48-hour jail sentence or a 90-day license restriction allowing you to only drive to and from work, and to and from an alcohol treatment program. You will also be required to complete an alcohol treatment program, and possibly get even up to six months in jail.

The reason why I say that you would get off easy is because there are even more severe consequences of driving under the influence. You can possibly give multiple people life sentences if you crash and kill them. If you cause a crash and cause an injury to someone, you can face jail time on top of fines, and it could be considered a felony based on your situation. Plain and simple, don’t be selfish and endanger others just because you wanted to have a good time. Here are some facts courtesy of MADD(Mother’s Against Drunk Driving).

The Floome is a breathalyzer designed to be used with your smartphone, is made by 2045Tech and is sold in the US, Canada, Europe and Japan. 2045Tech only uses the highest-quality parts for the Floome: The sensor used in the Floome to determine BAC is the same as the ones used in breathalyzers of law enforcement officers. Its purpose is to help you get the most accurate BAC level using your breath, app on your smartphone and of course, the Floome.

Design

The Floome is about the size of a key fob used in automobiles today. If you can carry a car key, you can carry the Floome. It is definitely portable and is well built. It comes in glossy red and matte black for those of you who are conscious about the devices you use as the Floome definitely fits the high-end design category.

Everything you need is contained in the one device. 2045Tech designed the Floome to be simple and durable which is perfect for party goers and social drinkers alike. No battery is required to power the Floome, which means no charging and worrying about it not working without power.

Setup

[pb-app-box pname=’com.floome.android’ name=’Floome’ theme=’discover’ lang=’en’]

In order to use the Floome, you need to download the required app from Google Play Store or the App Store as this is compatible with both Android and iOS. Once installed, you need to create an account, and then you can plug the Floome into your audio jack and get testing.

Usage

In order to use your Floome, the app will require you to enter your weight, gender, height and age, and the app will calculate how long it should take your body to lower your BAC. In addition, with increased usage, the app will learn your metabolic rate as everyone’s body is different. After you have been drinking, you need to wait twenty minutes before your test results will be accurate. The alcohol in your mouth can distort the results, but on the plus side, it will give you a higher reading than you actually expect which means it will tell you not to drive.

Once I filled in the necessary information, I took a baseline reading before I got to partying by myself. As expected my first reading was .000 g/dL which means I had no alcohol in my system.

After my initial reading, which required a gentle blow into the Floome for a few seconds, I started to drink my Scotch. To test the Floome, I took another test after thirty seconds of waiting. Like I said before, I was supposed to wait 20 minutes before I took my first test, but for the sake of the review I wanted to see what would happen if I broke the rule. My BAC came in at a whopping .167 where the legal limit is .08 which means I was double the legal limit.

After waiting the full twenty minutes and after finishing my two ounce drink, I took the test again and my reading came in at .017 g/dL. The Floome app let me know that my driving could be impaired which I do not disagree with. After pouring myself another, drinking it, and testing again my BAC came in at .033 which meant it was time for me to stop drinking. I normally only have one or two drinks when I go out and at my weight and time spent drinking over 75 minutes, the Floome definitely matched up to BAC calculators. I have full confidence that the Floome was giving me an accurate reading.

Now I know you’re probably thinking, why would I get the Floome if I can use a BAC calculator? When you are out and having fun, do you find yourself keeping track of what time you started drinking? Do you keep track of exactly how much alcohol is in your craft beer(craft beers in San Diego easily push 6-8% alcohol content)? Was it a double shot or was it a single shot of whiskey? None of these things are easy to track and relying on calculators just isn’t accurate. Plus if you are aware enough to keep track of all of those things, there’s a good chance you are a responsible drinker anyways.

The Floome does whatever it can to prevent you from driving over the legal limit by suggesting restaurants you can go eat at, providing a taxi finding service, as well as connecting you to your contacts so they can give you a ride.

What I liked

• Simple to use
• Accuracy
• Build quality
• No battery required
• Portable
• Well executed app
• Compatible with Android and iOS

What I didn’t like

• Nothing. I am going to buy a couple for my buddies.

Summary

The Floome costs $99 which is a bargain considering the alternatives. Not only will it help you stay away from fines, but more importantly it will help prevent crashes and save lives. Drunk driving is all too common in this world and many of you probably know someone who has been affected by a drunk driver in some way. If you haven’t, consider yourself fortunate and don’t become a statistic.

Use the Floome if you are a drinker, or get one for your friends and family if you know them to be irresponsible when it comes to drinking. No one deserves a life sentence at the hands of a drunk driver. With tools like the Floome, there simply are no excuses for driving under the influence.

EVERY TWO MINUTES, A PERSON IS INJURED IN A DRUNK DRIVING CRASH.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2014, DOT HS 812 013. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812013.pdf.

ON AVERAGE, TWO IN THREE PEOPLE WILL BE INVOLVED IN A DRUNK DRIVING CRASH IN THEIR LIFETIME.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2014, DOT HS 812 013. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812013.pdf.

THE RATE OF DRUNK DRIVING IS HIGHEST AMONG 21 TO 25 YEAR OLDS (23.4 PERCENT).

(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings.” September 2011.)

IN 2013, 10,076 PEOPLE DIED IN DRUNK DRIVING CRASHES – ONE EVERY 52 MINUTES – AND 290,000 WERE INJURED IN DRUNK DRIVING CRASHES.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration FARS data, 2014. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812102.pdf. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2014, DOT HS 812 013. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812013.pdf.

Luckily there are ways to truly determine if you are under the influence. The Floome Breathalyzer.