By now, everyone knows the evils of drinking and driving.  When you've had too much to drink, your reflexes, reaction time and judgment become impaired, which can lead to disaster.  Thousands of people are killed or maimed due to drunk driving each year and many more people obtain DUIs or DWIs for driving under the influence.

But how do you know for sure when you've had too many drinks to drive?  Thankfully, there is the BACtrack S75 Pro Breathalyzer, a portable handheld device which will quickly and accurately estimate your blood alcohol content.  Keep reading to learn much more!

I have to admit that this product review is a very personal one for me, because back in college, I was arrested for a DWI.  Many of my friends were out at the club that night and we had all been drinking.  Because I was usually the responsible one, I stopped drinking several hours before we were going to leave so that I could sober up and drive my friends and I home that night.

Unfortunately, a few miles away from the club, a policeman stopped me because he said that I had run a traffic light.  I thought that it was yellow and when he poked his head in and could smell the alcohol coming off of my VERY inebriated friends, he asked me to get out of the car and do a sobriety test.

Since I thought that I was completely sober at this point, I didn't hesitate.  The smartest thing I did that night was not perform the test until an officer with a camera in his car could be there to film me, for I knew that if the original officer thought that I had failed the test, there would be no way to prove otherwise without the camera's footage.

I thought that I had performed the sobriety test flawlessly, but when I was finished, the officer told me to put my hands behind my back.  He told me that I was about to be arrested for a DWI, unless I would allow him to perform a breathalyzer test on me.  Since I had been drinking earlier that night and because there's not much defense against a "hot" breath test, I refused.

Refusing a breath test is an automatic trip to jail and I spent my first and only night in county jail.  My truck was also impounded because both of my friends failed their sobriety tests miserably and they were also sent to jail with charges of public intoxication.

That night ended up costing me $1500 dollars in bail money, lawyer fees and impound fees, not to mention my dignity and a very sleepless night, and in the end, I was never even charged with a DWI.  My lawyer and the district attorney watched the video of my sobriety test and decided that there wasn't enough evidence to charge me with driving while intoxicated.

I was innocent, but because I refused to blow, I was treated as though I was guilty.  Which leads me to how that night could have been very different if only I would have had the BACtrack S75 Pro with me.

The BACtrack S75 Pro Breathalyzer is a professional alcohol screening device, used for the detection of alcohol in the breath.  It uses 2 "AA" batteries (included) and comes complete with a small carrying case and six reusable mouthpieces, for hygienically testing multiple individuals.  The BACtrack S75 Pro is small and lightweight and fits easily in the palm of your hand.  Its slim 4" design makes the BACtrack extremely easy to carry with you in your purse or in the glove box of your vehicle.

The BACtrack uses highly accurate Xtend fuel cell sensor technology, which allows it to be used for professional, medical testing applications, and law enforcement applications.  It provides more accurate and more consistent results as compared with semi-conductor breathalyzers.  For example, with the S75 Pro, you are more likely to show the same test result when you test someone repeatedly in a very short period of time.  It will also not show a false positive for someone who is diabetic or on a low calorie diet.

The BACtrack S75 Pro is very easy to use too.  Simply insert a mouthpiece into the slot on the front of the device and press the power button.  The BACtrack will quickly display the total number of tests performed and then begin a countdown.  When the countdown reaches zero, "START" will flash and that's when you should blow through the mouthpiece for five seconds or until you hear a double beep.  The estimated BAC will then be displayed in extended accuracy format, such as 0.081 %BAC.

The important thing to remember when using the BACtrack S75 Pro, is that you are not supposed to eat, drink or smoke for twenty minutes prior to blowing into this device.  Failure to wait this period of time will provide inaccurate results and could even damage the unit's sensor.  You are also advised to send this breathalyzer in for recalibration every six to twelve months, depending on the number of tests performed, in order to maintain its accuracy.

If I would have owned the BACtrack S75 Pro Breathalyzer on that fateful night back in college, I would have tested myself before leaving the club with my friends.  Since I would have known definitively that I was legally sober, I would have taken the breathalyzer test from the officer and I would have been allowed to leave with my friends, possibly incurring only a traffic violation ticket.

Instead, my friends and I spent a night in jail, countless hours finding an attorney and discussing my case were wasted, and I was out $1500 in bail money and fees.  Needless to say, the BACtrack S75 Pro would have paid for itself many, many times over from just this one incident!

This device is also perfect for proving to that obstinate friend or family member that they've had too much to drink, when they insist that they have not and still want to drive themselves home.  You can't argue with the digital reading of an accurate, professional breathalyzer, now can you?  It seems to me that if more people had access to the BACtrack S75 Pro Breathalyzer, fewer tragedies would occur at the hands of drunk driving and more parties and good times could have happy endings, instead of miserable ones!

Disclosure:  I received the BACtrack S75 Pro Breathalyzer from BACTRACK in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. This product review is based on my own personal experiences with this item and is completely honest and objective.