The midsummer schnapps and the cold beer can be associated with danger to life in traffic.
Seven out of eleven breathalyzers are now failing after a new review by the Motorförarnas Helnykterhetsförbund, MHF.
– You deceive people and play Russian roulette with people’s lives in traffic, says CEO Tomas Jonsson.
Ahead of this year’s midsummer celebration, the Motorförarnas Helnykterhetsförbund, MHF, has conducted a consumer test of eleven alcohol meters on the market. The association is now warning that several of the devices are not working as they should.
MHF Test Lab, one of three accredited labs in the world for tests of breathalyzers, states that the result is “scary”. Seven out of eleven meters fail.
– It is a remarkable result. Some of the breathalyzers are so horribly substandard that they let through values that are above the limit for severe drunk driving and show that it is okay to drive, says Tomas Jonsson, CEO of MHF Test Lab in a press release.
“Should be banned”
Tomas Jansson directs harsh criticism at several of the manufacturers who market the products as safe and reliable.
– It should be prohibited to sell this type of breathalyzer. You deceive people and play Russian roulette with people’s lives in traffic, he says.
The limit for drunk driving in Sweden is 0.2 per thousand alcohol in the blood or 0.10 mg of alcohol per small breath. The limit for severe drunken driving is 1 per thousand of alcohol in the blood or 0.50 mg of alcohol per liter of exhaled air.
Advice: Leave the car standing
Tomas Jansson’s advice to Swedes celebrating Midsummer is to take the safe side before the uncertain.
– Many people buy a breathalyzer to be able to test themselves the day after a party. If you have drunk a lot of alcohol on Midsummer’s Eve or at another celebration, then you should let the car stand completely the next day, he says.