How to Use an Alcometer

Alcohol consumption impairs the ability to function, and certainly, your ability to drive a motor vehicle. The once social acceptable "drink and drive" action has now became the target of law enforcement world wide. Almost 50 percent of motor vehicle-related fatalities can be attributed in part to alcohol consumption. The availability of alcometers on the market can now put one in the hands of the parent of every teenager in the world.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Alcometer
• Fresh mouthpiece
• Subject

1. Press the "reset" button on the alcometer. This prepares the instrument's internal mechanisms for a sample.
2. Place the mouthpiece on the top of the alcometer and firmly push down. The mouthpiece must be attached to the alcometer to enable a sample to pass through and be analyzed.
3. Breath through the mouthpiece until the yellow light is illuminated. This indicates that the subject is blowing sufficiently to record a sample.
4. After a period of several seconds, the green light on the alcometer is illuminated. This indicates that the subject has supplied sufficient sample for analysis. Press the "read" button on the alcometer.
5. The alcometer will then display a digital readout of the blood alcohol concentration. On positive readings, the alcometer will continue to process while the "read" button is being pressed. The alcometer will eventually settle on a figure, indicating the subject's blood alcohol concentration as a percentage.

Tips & Warnings

• Mouth alcohol can give a distorted reading of the alcohol present. Always wait 20 minutes after the last drink before conducting a breath test.
• The use of an alcometer is not conclusive evidence in most jurisdictions of alcohol impairment. It should be used as a guide only and then only after observing the indicia of the subject.
• Only a blood analysis can give the most accurate reading of blood alcohol concentration. Generally, a blood analysis will be higher than any Breathalyzer reading.
• The Lion S D2 alcometer has an accuracy of .005 percent.
• Do not use the instrument in proximity to appliances which may use RF transmissions, such as radios. This can affect the reading on the alcometer.