Car breathalysers are integral tools to ensure road safety, especially at workplaces that employ staff members to operate heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks and lorries. Car breathalysers can come in the form of alcohol interlocks that are manually connected to the vehicle’s engine. This mechanism allows for the vehicle’s engine to only be ignited if the driver passes the alcohol breath test.
Other handheld or portable breathalysers can also be used in vehicles to check for the presence of alcohol in the driver’s system. This can be done under the supervision of a safety officer or by the driver himself. If an alcohol reading is recorded, safety officers or drivers can make informed decisions on their next course of action.
In this blog post, we discuss the pros and cons of both types of breathalysers and outline some of the best breathalysers for cars that you should have to measure your breath alcohol concentration (BrAC).
LEARN MORE: The effects of alcohol on driving
Portable car breathalysers
Also known as portable, handheld and sometimes personal breathalysers (depending on other features and technology used), these are breathalysers that are smaller in size and are used in domestic settings such as at home, at parties, at the workplace or in a car.
Portable car breathalysers can be brought around from place to place and are not limited to use in a car, this makes it versatile and helpful in everyday scenarios where alcohol is involved.
Below are some handheld breathalysers from Andatech that are suitable for use on the road.
AlcoSense Verity Gen 2 personal breathalyser
The latest addition to the AlcoSense personal breathalyser catalogue, the AlcoSense Verity Gen 2 breathalyser makes testing in vehicles more convenient with its built-in mouthpiece. The unit is highly rated, with over 100 reviews across different marketplaces, averaging a 4.8-star rating.
The breathalyser also comes with a quick test mode to quickly detect any presence of alcohol within a given breath sample. This platinum fuel cell breathalyser is ideal for testing on the road, at home and also as a gift to your mates.
AlcoSense Elite 3 BT smartphone breathalyser
The AlcoSense Elite 3 BT smartphone breathalyser is tailored for the modern-day professional. With its sleek and stylish design, this breathalyser can be paired to your mobile phone via the Andalink app. This allows more features, including proof of testing, GPS tracking and result sharing, to be accessed.
The GPS tracking and result-sharing feature is useful for individuals who are too impaired to drive, allowing friends or family members to assist them with driving if necessary.
A non-Bluetooth version is also available.
SHOP MORE: Best personal breathalysers
AlcoSense Nexus mobile breathalyser
Just like the Elite 3 BT breathalyser, this unit can also be paired with your mobile phone and has similar features to the Nexus breathalyser but with a faster response time and a built-in 100 test memory.
This advanced breathalyser provides fast BAC results while also recording your test location and taking photo-verified alcohol test results.
Alcohol interlock breathalysers
Alcohol interlock or car interlock breathalysers are breath alcohol testing devices specifically designed to be used in cars. These units are mechanically linked to your vehicle’s engine and only allow your vehicle to be started if alcohol is not detected in your breath sample.
Unlike portable breathalysers, these units can only be used in cars but is more effective at deterring drunk driving. Most alcohol interlock breathalysers also come with a rolling test feature that will prompt the driver to pull the car and take a random alcohol breath test. This ensures that although the driver had passed the initial test before driving, they do not drink while driving.
These devices are made compulsory for certain drink driving offenders to help ensure that drink driving incidents do not occur again. However, only government-approved interlocks are to be installed under an alcohol interlock order
READ MORE: Drink driving penalties in Australia
Andatech ALX3000 alcohol interlock breathalyser
This breathalyser on Andatech’s catalogue is perfect for deterring instances of drink driving. Usually installed in industrial settings by transportation companies, these breathalysers continue to work effectively even in temperatures as low as -40°C.
The best part about this alcohol interlock car breathalyser is that users can customise settings to suit their individual needs. Users can set rolling tests to occur every 5 to 60 minutes after the engine is started. Failing a retest will activate a lock mode for 15 minutes.
Why choose Andatech?
Andatech breathalysers utilise quality fuel cell sensors of different grades, which are known to be more accurate than semiconductor models. Andatech also has a wide range of breathalysers to suit the different needs of every individual, conveniently catering to Australians from all walks of life, regardless of profession or income.
Our breathalysers also come with a lifetime guarantee if regularly calibrated every six months at Andatech’s NATA-accredited laboratory in Melbourne. Andatech breathalysers can also be found in different major retailers across Australia, including Autobarn, Repco, Autopro and many more.
Browse through Andatech’s selection of personal breathalysers or workplace breathalysers to get the ideal unit to suit your needs.
