Test prevents DUI


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Test prevents DUI

By: Carol Seavey

Issue date: 1/30/03 Section: News

"No. I'm fine, really."

This is a phrase often heard when a friend asks another if they are sober enough to drive. The person will often reassure their worried friend before driving away with high risks of getting a DUI (you don't have to be over .10 to get one) or even dying.

Instead of just asking, there's a better way to help people decide if they should drive after they've been drinking.

Guardian Angel alcohol level test strips cost less than $2 and are the size of a credit card. Each package comes with two test strips that measure the amount of alcohol in a person's saliva, rather than their breath.

"There's a real science in saliva and we've tapped it," said Geoff Scult, vice pres. of Guardian Angel. "People don't have any clue of how alcohol affects them and they're getting behind the wheel. This will bring perspective to the next level."

How they work
The test strips come in a tri-fold card that fits in a wallet. The two test strips inside are in band-aid like packaging. If you can't open the package, you probably shouldn't be drinking.

Before testing, you can't drink or smoke for ten minutes. Make sure to plan this into your schedule. For instance, if you drink all the way until the bar closes you won't have time to do the test before your booted out in the cold. Or, if you do the test and decide to take a cab you may also have to wait in the cold. Of course, if you're really drunk you won't be able to feel it anyhow.

Then you put the test strip in your mouth for 10 seconds, thoroughly soaking it.

After removing it from your mouth do the chicken dance while singing karaoke to Madonna. Oh wait, that's just for the drunk people.

Finally, wait two minutes for the end of the strip to change color.

Hold the end of the strip up to the color chart on the Guardian Angel card. Each color represents a range of blood alcohol level. The strip starts off white. If it turns off-white, your alcohol level is lower and it's best not to drive. Pink strip is about .04 BAC or above and there's a higher risk for a DUI or crash. If the strip turns brown, hand over the keys because your BAC is about .08 or above and you have a high risk of a DUI or a crash.

The test
Since this all sounds too good to be true, I decided to test it out. I took them along with me to Granite Bowl South on Cosmic Monday. Maybe it was just an excuse to drink on a Monday, but I'd like to think testing Guardian Angel was a community service. Actually, bowling itself can be a measure of sobriety. When you get four gutter balls in a row it is definitely a sign.

As the night came to a close, a few SCSU students tried the test strips.

Erin Ouren, Sr. mass communications major, had been drinking all night and her strip turned brown. However, she said she probably wouldn't buy them.

"I'm responsible and I know that I can't drive," she said.

Mike Lee, So. mass communications major, had heard of them before and would use them again.

"Everybody should be using them if they're going out drinking," he said.

The real test
My friends Jessica Lillegard and I waited to do our strips so we could test them against a breathalizer. We got a ride to the Waite Park Police Dept. where we used a Personal Breathalizer Test, the kind officers carry with them in their cars. It had been about an hour since our last drink. I had had three drinks in 2 1/2 hours. The Guardian Angel strips indicated that I was at the lower level. I blew .03. Jessica had had five drinks in the same time. Her test strip was in the higher range and she blew .05. Sgt. Jennings thought that was pretty accurate.

"Bottom line is, there are options; get a cab or find a sober friend," he said. "Why risk paying $4,000 in fines and insurance?"

Guardian Angel is not a breathalizer and if you were pulled over you'd still go through the regular steps. For Sgt. Jennings, there's one way to tell if a driver is drunk.

"Your eyes will give you away every time," he said.

When doing a simple test in which your look to the side without turning your head, a drunk person's eyes will twitch.

There is also a number for a taxicab service printed on the card. Unfortunately, it is not available in St. Cloud. One would have to find a number for a cab ahead of time because who wants to do that when they're drunk? Also, not a lot of stores in the St. Cloud area carry Guardian Angels. I went to six convenience stores before finally finding them. Otherwise, they sell them online.

Overall, Guardian Angel Personal Alcohol Tests are a useful product. Most people know their limits and when to stop drinking or not drive, but many people do not. Using them can help you get a better idea of how much you can drink before getting sloshed. Plus, your body doesn't react the same to alcohol each time you drink. So, what may just give you a buzz one night, may send you into a drunken hiatus the next. If nothing else, they can be fun to use at the end of the night to see who's the drunkest.

Guardian Angel is available online at http://www.guardianangel.com/

Special thanks to Dep. Chief Arnold, Sgt. Jenson and Officer Whitehead at the Waite Park Police Dept.

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Test prevents DUI

By: Carol Seavey