Gimmick or life-saver: Del. bars adding breathalyzers

After a night at the bar, some people call a taxi for a ride home, while others rely on a designated driver. But many simply guess whether they are legally intoxicated before deciding to get behind the wheel.

That's why two New Castle County watering holes recently added breathalyzer vending machines to help patrons get a better handle on their sobriety before they walk out the door.

"I agree that if you've been drinking, you shouldn't drive," said Stephanie Westcott, general manager of Tailgates Sports Bar and Grill off Ogletown-Stanton Road. "But realistically, that's not what happens. So anything we can do to make people aware of their blood alcohol content before they get into a car, I think that's great."

For $1, the machine, the Boozelator 5000, will dispense a sanitary straw that bar patrons use to blow directly into a wall-mounted device. After a few seconds, its 12-inch screen displays their blood alcohol concentration, letting them know whether they're above or below the state limit of 0.08 percent.

About 100 people have used the Boozelator at Tailgates since it added the device in December, according to Michelle Ganzman, owner of the vending company, M&W Breathalyzers and Advertisers.

The 31-year-old mother of four from Chesapeake City, Maryland, got into the breathalyzer vending machine business last year after taking an online business course offered by Cecil County Public Library.

"I never really go out to bars. At least, I didn't before I started doing this," she said. "I just liked the idea of trying to inform people of their alcohol level, because I'm not sure how many people think about that and this gets it back into their mind."

So far, Ganzman has placed the machines in Tailgates and Bank Shots off U.S. 40, as well as Walt's Tavern in Elkton, Maryland. Three other machines have been placed in Delaware bars by another vendor.

The machines are installed free of charge and Ganzman said she will share a percentage of the revenue with the bars once the devices have started to make money.

When not in use, the machines display advertising, although Ganzman said that side of the business has been slower to pick up.

"I've been trying to sell the ad space to taxi cab companies because I figure that's the type of business that would benefit the most," she said. "But right now, the two Delaware bars use it to advertise their specials."

The Boozelator vending machines are manufactured by Blo Dad & Sons, a Florida-based company that began selling to vendors in 2010.

Since then, more than 10,000 have been installed worldwide, including 3,500 in the United States, company spokesman Gabe Jacobs said.

"There are a few hundred in New Jersey, but only about a dozen machines in Delaware and Maryland," he said. "Those are two of the states where we're hoping to grow."

Lisa Spicknall, the state program director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Maryland, said she had never heard of breathalyzer vending machines and questioned their accuracy.

"The breathalyzers used by police have to go through routine calibration and are held to very high standards," she said. "So our concern is that these machines could give a false sense of security and, as a result, people may go out and drive when they shouldn't. So our hope would be that people plan a safe ride home before they ever start drinking."

While novelty breathalyzer vending machines have been on the market for about 30 years, Jacobs said the Boozelator is different because it uses a platinum fuel-cell conductor exactly like the breathalyzers used by law enforcement agencies.

"That means it gives a much more accurate result and isn't affected by things like alcohol fumes in the air, perfume, hair spray and other things you typically find in the air space at a bar," he said, adding that the machines are accurate to within .005 percent.

Delaware State Police spokesman Sgt. Richard Bratz said he also has concerns about the machines. He noted that having a blood alcohol concentration below the state limit is no guarantee someone won't be charged with driving under the influence.

That's because state law allows police to issue a DUI charge if there are visible signs someone is impaired, such as during a field sobriety test.

"If you've been drinking, even if you're below the legal limit, and you get in a car and crash, you're still going to get a DUI," he said. "My suggestion is don't drink and drive at all."

Ganzman said the Boozelators provide warnings both onscreen and directly on the machine that clearly state it is not safe to drive after consuming any alcohol.

But she noted that not everyone follows that advice.

"How can you have bars and tell people not to drink and drive without giving them any way to check themselves," she said. "Right now, no one knows [their blood alcohol concentration] until they get pulled over. That's why these machines exist. So they can know and hopefully that information will help convince them to do the right thing."

Contact Scott Goss (302) 324-2281 or sgoss@delawareonline.com.