Riding your bike to the bar always seems like a good idea: it’s eco-friendly, a BUI seems better than a DUI, and you look so cool.
But drinking and riding is a real problem in the U.S. Even though alcohol-related vehicle fatalities have , alcohol-related fatalities for cyclists have increased, by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The same study found that in 26 percent of fatal crashes involving a car and a bike, the cyclist was riding under the influence.
Japan’s statistics are even grimmer, and pedaling under the influence can land you a ¥1 million fine or up to five years in prison.
That’s why Toyko-based bike shop KOOWHO developed the Alcoho-Lock, which is currently . The breathalyzer-lock hybrid uses a MQ-3 semiconductor sensor to detect a user’s blood alcohol content (BAC). The idea is simple: you blow into the lock to unlock it, and if your BAC is higher than the legal limit, the device sends a message to a pre-selected emergency contact, who can either talk you out of riding home or come pick you up. (The Alcoho-Lock unlocks regardless of the BAC number.)
It seems like a potentially lifesaving invention. But researchers studying alcohol consumption aren’t convinced it’ll be all that effective. Igor Radun, PhD, a professor at the University of Helsinki’s Institute of Behavioral Sciences, says there’s limited, inconclusive data on the efficacy of personal breathalyzers. “Though technology appears to offer a seemingly quick and easy solution to a complex problem, the use of interlocks [devices that keep a car from working if the driver’s BAC is over a certain level] might bring a new array of problems, because the human response to technological solutions is rarely as straightforward as expected,” he on the subject.
His real concern is that people will use breathalyzers to justify driving just under the legal BAC limit. Without a breathalyzer, a person might have assumed they were too drunk to drive and just taken a cab home. With it, they’re driving in a slightly impaired, but not illegal, state.
Of course, just because you’re under the legal limit doesn’t mean you’re okay to drive. Susan Bullers, PhD, a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, says BAC itself isn’t a helpful measurement, as people function differently at different levels. “I don’t drink very often, so I would feel like I was well past the point where I’d be able to drive and I’d be well below the limit,” she says.
Sato hopes the Alcoho-Lock harnesses the power of good old peer pressure: that call from your sober buddy will be enough to dissuade you from riding home. Let’s just hope your friend picks up the phone when Alcoho-Lock calls him—and that he’s not the one downing shots beside you.
Alcoho-Lock is currently .