Alcohol Breathalyzers One's Blood Individual's Determine Modern Results

The breathalyzer is a "device" (small machine) that analyzes an individual's "breath" (the air that is pushed out of one's nose or mouth). First, the individual breathes into the machine. Then the "readings" (information produced by a device) are used to "estimate" (guess how much of something there is) the individual's "blood alcohol level" (a measure of how much alcohol is in one's body, used to determine how much one's judgment will be affected).

The first "breathalyzer-like devices" (devices similar to the modern breathalyzer) were developed in 1927 as a way for "housewives" (women who do not have a job outside of the home) to determine whether their husbands had been drinking. But beginning in 1931, the devices were being used to "assess" (measure; determine) the blood alcohol level of "motorists" (drivers).

Modern breathalyzers are "non-invasive" (do not require that anything is placed inside the body) and provide results almost instantly, so they are very convenient. Police officers use breathalyzers in their daily work, and many "establishments" (businesses, especially restaurants or hotels) that serve alcohol make breathalyzers available to their customers. Customers can test their blood alcohol levels themselves before deciding whether they think it is safe for them to drive home.

Breathalyzer tests are not perfect, so high readings are often "verified" (confirmed) with a "blood test" (a chemical analysis of one's blood). Some courts accept breathalyzer readings, but in a few state,s the results "are inadmissible in court" (cannot be used as evidence in court), so the blood tests are required to prove that someone was driving under the influence of alcohol.