With Valentine's Day coming up, many SoCal couples will be heading out to their favorite restaurants to toast their loved ones with wine or Champagne.
Some may rely on a new generation of portable, high-tech devices to tell them if they've had too much to drink before heading home.
With help from the Burbank Police Department, I-Team consumer investigator Randy Mac took a look at how three "smartphone breathalyzers" worked.
Watch the video above to see three volunteers giving the Breathometer, BACtrack and Alcohoot a try.
The makers of all three breathalyzers told the I-Team they stand behind the results of their devices.
Alchoot is the one model that had to physically be plugged into a smartphone, instead of connecting by Bluetooth.
Alcohoot statement:
Alcohoot uses the same technology found in police devices to give you a snapshot about how your body responds to alcohol at a specific point in time under different conditions, and we stand by our accuracy. When comparing the results of any device to any other, it's always important to control for a number of variables including the time between tests and the time since you last had a drink. Whether these testing conditions were met or not, we are pleased our product can raise awareness that alcohol affects each of us differently. However, we do not recommend relying solely on any breathalyzer device, including ours, to make what ultimately could be a life or death decision.
BACtrack statement:
"It is great to see NBC4 highlighting the topic of alcohol consumption. We are pleased to see how the accuracy of BACtrack compares to the police breathalyzer, and we're proud to offer an affordable and convenient way for consumers to estimate their blood alcohol level."
Breathometer statement:
Thank you for including the Original Breathometer product in your recent review. We are also proud of our wireless Breeze product- featuring an electrochemical fuel cell sensor. Both products utilize the same feature rich Breathometer App to make sure you Get Home Safe, or can Stay Nearby if any alcohol is detected. At all times- never drink and drive! Breathometer is focused on providing consumers with tools to make more informed decisions and to have access to helpful resources through our Breathometer app.
