Pair Want to Put Breathalyzers in Bars

RIVER FALLS, Minn. - Two Wisconsin college students say they want to keep drunk drivers off the roads. They have come up with an idea they say will work -- breathalyzers in bars.

You are sitting in a bar, you have had a couple of drinks and maybe a meal. You do not feel drunk, but would you be legally drunk if you drove?

"One of the most common things you ever hear in a bar is 'oh, I'm fine to drive.' Well, people really don't know that," said Rory Sampair.

Bartenders and business students 22-year-old Alexander Petersen and 24-year-old Sampair want to help people answer that question with the AlcoScan 3500, a video game looking breathalyzer people can use at the bar.

"It's accurate to within 0.001," said Petersen.

The idea to put what they say is a very accurate breathalyzer in a bar came to Sampair after he got his own DWI a year and a half ago.

"You go through a driver safety class and everyone I spoke to in those classes, really kind of realized that people just didn't know what 0.08 felt like," Sampair said.

For just a buck, a person can take a straw and find out by blowing into the machine. If you follow the rules posted above the breathalyzer, the two say you should know what your blood alcohol content is.

"I would be my license on it. I really would," Petersen said.

However, police say it is a bet that may not pay off.

"It's good for entertainment value, too, to see where you are at before you leave or maybe what your buddies are at," said River Falls Police Sgt. Jeff Sather.

If you want to make sure you never cross a line when you are behind-the-wheel it is real easy.

"The biggest thing is if you're going to be out drinking, don't be driving no matter what the machine says," Sather said.

When it comes to drinking and driving, the only machine numbers that matter are on the breathalyzers police carry. Still, police say the AlcoScan can be used as a guide, and even it reminds people of the dangers of drinking and driving.

The two say it can help people make better decisions about whether they should drive or not and help them decide whether to serve somebody who may have had enough already.

We want to know what you think. Are breathalyzers in bars a good idea? Post your comments below: