Smartphone breathalyzers helped DUI offenders avoid driving drunk, CDOT report says

Drivers who received a smartphone breathalyzer from the Colorado Department of Transportation said it helped them avoid impaired driving, according to a CDOT news release.

In 2017, the department distributed smartphone breathalyzers to 475 people in Colorado who had previous DUI convictions. CDOT surveyed these people before and after they got their breathalyzers to measure how it affected their driving behavior. Ten participants live in Larimer County, with 36 in Weld County.

More than 90 percent of participants said the breathalyzer helped them avoid impaired driving, and 94 percent said everyone who regularly drinks should own one.

Before they started the program, 42 percent of participants said they felt confident that they could drive after a few drinks. After using the breathalyzers, just 30 percent still felt that way, according to the news release.

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Of the 475 participants, 75 percent said they used their breathalyzers to determine if they were safe to drive after consuming alcohol.

"The breathalyzer is a great resource," program participant Mike Hoffman said in the news release. "I knew the general rule for drinking and impairment, but there is a big difference between how you feel and how impaired you actually are."

The surveys also revealed some potentially troubling trends. Before the program, 15 percent of participants did not know that .08 is the blood alcohol content level for a DUI conviction, and 41 percent did not know that .05 is the level for driving while ability impaired, according to the news release.

One of the participants was convicted of a DUI during the study period.

CDOT spokesman Sam Cole said those answers showed the department still has work to do to reduce impaired driving in Colorado.

Law enforcement officers across the state are increasing DUI enforcement starting Friday as part of a holiday effort to decrease impaired driving. Last year, officers arrested 568 people during the enforcement period.

Alicia Stice covers transportation and breaking news for The Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @AliciaStice.