New App Tells you if You’re Too Drunk To Drive

Dear technology,  thank you for existing.

I'm only kidding around, but seriously this is pretty cool.  The new app for iPhone is called BreathalEyes and how it works is it measures your Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN), which if you've ever been pulled over and the cop asks you to follow their finger or a pen, that's what they're checking.  HGN is where the eye involuntarily jerks and twitches when a person looks to their right or left while holding their gaze,and the person is unaware their eye is doing this.  Alcohol, is one factor that can cause HGN.

So Melissa, how does this app work?

Well friend, I'm glad you asked, the app uses the camera on your iPhone.  You need a partner and to stand in the light (so stepping away from the bar is a good idea) and one person holds the phone up and places your eye in the box on the screen then you look all the way to either the right or the left and the camera records your eye movement and then calculates your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC).

Now legally BreathalEyes is only meant for entertainment purposes but the app was tested alongside an actual breathalyzer and was found to be 0.02 -- 0.18 percent, with (+/-) .02 percent accuracy.  So in other words, Pretty dang close! Now I don't recommend you going out and using this as your guide as to whether you can drive home or not, if you drink at all you should still find a ride home or sleep where you are (if of course it's not a bar)  I don't want any phone calls at 2am saying "Melissa can you please come down to the station, we have (insert your name here) sitting here with us, and they said you were condoning drinking and driving as long as this app said it was alright"  However the app is only 99 cents in the app store and could be a fun time.  You can check out the BreathalEyes website here for more info, and check out a video of how it works below!