Insert 20 cents into the machine, blow into the straw, and you will know if you are allowed to go back to the counter for one last drink. This is not a new generation of games or slot machines, but indeed an electronic breathalyzer. The Union of Café, Restaurant, and Nighttime Industry Owners of the Alpes-Maritimes is planning to launch a real-life test of these Alcobornes this summer. Installed in bars and restaurants, they will allow consumers to check their blood alcohol level before getting back behind the wheel. Simple, practical, and not too restrictive.
The advantages of the Alcoborne are not limited to consumers only. “It will be an effective tool to prove a client’s state of drunkenness. Theoretically, restaurateurs should not serve a person with more than 0.25 grams of alcohol in their blood. But until now, there was no means to measure a client’s level and refuse to serve them. Thanks to this terminal, restaurant owners will be somewhat absolved of their responsibility,” explains Hubert Boivin, president of the Employers’ Union. To obtain a personal Alcoborne, restaurateurs will need to invest 2,500 euros.
The first pilot terminal, endorsed by the Hospitality Industries Union, was inaugurated a month ago at the port of Nice. Hubert Boivin explains, “The manufacturer loaned it to me so I could show it to restaurateurs. The terminal is currently with our union, and I am showing it to all professionals.” Thanks to a grant from the General Council, the Employers’ Union will soon receive six electronic breathalyzer terminals. They will be distributed along the entire coast, from Cannes to Menton. The pilot Alcobornes will change establishments every three months. The union will move them among its members, thus reaching 50% of the establishments on the Côte d’Azur. The money collected will be used to purchase a seventh pilot terminal.
Alcohol is the leading cause of road accidents, and the issue does not affect only young people. Self-assessment by drivers is a good solution, which public authorities also intend to encourage. Jean-Louis Borloo, Minister of Ecology, in charge of road safety, has proposed selling breathalyzers for 1 euro.
Risk a fine, prison, or even your life. 20 cents on the spot, 1 euro at the pharmacy, testing yourself will always cost less than driving too early after the last drink. To your breathalyzers!
