Breathalyzer Accuracy & BAC Testing Reliability - BACtrack

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Accuracy You Can Depend On

BACtrack uses carefully-engineered technology to deliver reliable, consistent BAC results, with unparalleled accuracy.

BACtrack, the Most Trusted and Bestselling Brand

BACtrack is the leader in breathalyzers, with over 14 years of expertise designing and manufacturing one single product line - breath alcohol testers. BACtrack was the first company ever to receive U.S. FDA 510(k) marketing clearance to legally sell breathalyzers to consumers for personal use.

BACtrack Performance Results

These graphs show how BACtrack Mobile and an Amazon-purchased novelty grade breathalyzer perform against the DataMaster, a police-grade breathalyzer using infrared spectroscopy. The graphs represent the testing of 8 different subjects over the course of two six-hour expanses. In total, 54 rounds of tests were conducted, each beginning with the gold standard police grade unit, the DataMaster, followed immediately with the BACtrack Mobile Pro and the novelty breathalyzer purchased from Amazon.com. In total, 162 tests were recorded.

As you can see, the test results of the BACtrack Mobile Pro closely mirror the DataMaster, especially at levels under 0.08% BAC. The novelty breathalyzer performs erratically throughout. Don’t risk wildly inaccurate results.

Testing Dates: Aug 29, 2013, 1100-1700; Nov 13, 2013, 1100-1730

Testing Unit Serials: DKH-0922, DHA-0524

BACtrack Most Accurate in Independent Tests

Several reporters have tested commercially available breathalyzers against the police gold-standard breathalyzer unit and found BACtrack is the most accurate. Read more about the NBC-affiliate, CBS-affiliate, and Car & Driver reports on accuracy in breathalyzers.

How Our Accuracy Measures Up

See how BACtrack compares to other methods used to estimate of blood alcohol content. The only way to measure actual blood alcohol content is with a blood test, which we note on the graph as the most accurate option; breathalyzers provide estimates of BAC. Breathalyzer accuracy is based on size and type of sensor, and ranges from BAC charts and novelty-grade breathalyzers, to top-of-the-line police desktop breathalyzer units.

BACtrack consistently performs closer to the gold-standard than any other breathalyzer you can buy for personal or professional use.

“I am a Deputy in Harris County, TX. I investigate anywhere from 5-10 DWIs per week. This unit has given me the added ability to confirm my findings from my standardized field sobriety tests.”

– Texas Peace Officer, Harris County, TX

Proprietary Sensor Technology. Unparalleled Precision.

Xtend® Fuel Cell Sensor Technology

Engineered by BACtrack from technology used in experimental vehicle fuel mixing, our proprietary Xtend® Fuel Cell Sensors deliver the most accurate, consistent BAC results.

MicroCheck® Sensor Technology

Our consumer breathalyzers employ Advanced MicroCheck® Sensor Technology. Using a semiconductor sensor as a base, these sensors go through a patented burn-in process, which delivers more accurate and reliable results when compared to standard semiconductor sensors.

Optimal Breath Capture

Breathalyzer accuracy begins with an effective breath capture mechanism. BACtrack breathalyzers are carefully designed to exclude ambient air, fumes, and other airborne gases that could contaminate results.

To enhance accuracy, all BACtrack pro-grade models feature a miniature solenoid air pump to test only air from the deep lungs.

Repeated and Rigorous Testing

BACtrack's commitment to accuracy is backed up with an ongoing quality control program, ensuring the highest level of precision. We maintain our bestselling and most accurate ratings by analyzing and continuously pushing our technologies to be ever better.

Schedule a Tune-Up

Send your unit in at any time to have it professionally tested by trained experts, and recalibrated if necessary. Write to us or check out our calibration page.

On-Site Human Testing

BACtrack performs quality control tests using real people, as this is the optimal way to simulate how customers use our breathalyzers in real life. Controlled testing help us reproduce unique human usage, natural breath flow patterns, changes in BAC over the course of a breath, and variations in human lung capacity, all of which can affect a breathalyzer’s performance, and which we then apply to our research and technology development.

After consuming alcoholic beverages and waiting 15 minutes, subjects test their estimated BAC by breathing into the DataMaster police-standard unit, and then into our breathalyzers. We map results on a graph to determine breathalyzer performance.

Reference Point: The Police Gold-Standard

The DataMaster is a $7,000 desktop breathalyzer so accurate its results can be used in a court of law. This is the unit that you’ll find at police stations – and at BACtrack’s laboratory where we use it for quality control and testing head to head with our own breathalyzers.