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ABSTRACT: Historical events leading to the development of the first handheld instrument for breath alcohol analysis using an electrochemical sensor are reviewed. The first prototype instrument, known as the Alcolmeter Pocket Model, became available in 1972 and weighed only 180 g and was about the size of a cellphone. By the mid-1970s, the Alcolmeter instrument was used by police forces in several countries as a preliminary roadside test of driver sobriety. Positive results in a roadside breath test were considered sufficient evidence to arrest a suspect for further evaluation and testing. This might entail an evidential-quality breath alcohol test or taking a sample of the driver's blood for analysis at a forensic laboratory. The main advantages of breath testing over blood testing are the non-invasive nature of the sampling procedure compared with sticking a needle in a vein to draw blood, and obtaining immediate information whether or not a person is in breach of the drunk driving legislation.
Keywords: Alcolmeter, analysis, breath, drunk driving, law enforcement, roadside screening test, traffic safety.
The Breathalyzer instrument was invented by Robert F. Borkenstein (1912-2001) in 1954, almost exactly seventy years ago. This represented an important contribution to road traffic safety by furnishing the police with a rapid and reliable test of driver sobriety [1]. By the 1960s, Breathalyzer results were accepted as evidence for the prosecution of traffic offenders in the USA, Canada, and Australia [2]. The first report of the Breathalyzer instrument appeared in a 1954 traffic safety digest [3], and a US patent was granted to Professor Borkenstein in 1958 [4]. More detailed information about the Breathalyzer and its applications in forensic and legal medicine appeared in a 1961 publication by Borkenstein and Smith [5].
Traffic safety facts, from various sources, reveal that between 20-50% of drivers killed in road traffic crashes had consumed alcohol before driving [6,7]. Their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at autopsy exceeded the statutory limits for driving, which vary from 20-80 mg% (0.02-0.08 g%) in different countries [8]. Most alcohol-impaired drivers killed in road traffic crashes are aged 18 to 35 years, in the prime of life [9]. According to a recent report from the United States Department of Transportation [10];
"Every day, about 37 people in the United States die...