Drunkometer
The Drunkometer was one of the earliest devices employed by law enforcement to assess whether drivers were under the influence of alcohol. Invented by chemist Rolla Neil Harger in the early 1930s, this device emerged in response to a rising number of alcohol-related traffic accidents following the repeal of Prohibition. The Drunkometer operated by having individuals breathe into a rubber balloon, with the resulting air reacting with chemicals to indicate the presence of alcohol. The intensity of the color change was then used to determine the level of intoxication based on a specific equation created by Harger.
Initially met with some humor, the name "Drunkometer" became widely recognized and was first utilized by police in Indianapolis in 1938. It served as the primary means for roadside testing until the 1950s, when it was succeeded by the Breathalyzer, a more portable and precise device that used infrared spectroscopy to measure blood alcohol content. The development of the Drunkometer marked a significant step in efforts to combat drunk driving, reflecting changing societal attitudes towards alcohol consumption and road safety during that era.
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Drunkometer
The Drunkometer was an early roadside method used by law enforcement to test drivers for being under the influence of alcohol. It was invented in the 1930s when a combination of the repeal of Prohibition and increased sales of automobiles caused a rapid rise in vehicle accidents and deaths. It remained in use for about two decades before being replaced by the Breathalyzer commonly used in the twenty-first century.
Background
Scientists have sought ways to determine how much alcohol it takes to cause impairment at least since the 1700s. They soon discovered that the amount of alcohol someone had consumed could be determined by testing their blood or urine. However, law enforcement needed a way to prove that someone who was pulled over for erratic driving had consumed enough alcohol to be impaired. This would allow them to arrest impaired drivers and keep them from driving when they could hurt themselves or someone else.
The number of drunk drivers increased as time went on. As cars became more affordable and more were on the road, inebriated drivers became a greater problem. Laws against drunk driving began in the first decade of the twentieth century. However, they faded from importance in the United States when the Eighteenth Amendment was passed in 1919 and Prohibition began. When this amendment was repealed in 1933, the number of driving-related accidents involving alcohol increased. Scientists began looking for ways to test people on the side of the road to cut back on the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents.
Overview
The Drunkometer was invented by Rolla Neil Harger (1890–1983). Harger was a chemist and an Indiana University School of Medicine professor who was troubled by the number of traffic fatalities. Harger made the device in 1931 and spent five years getting it patented. It worked by having the subject breathe into a rubber balloon. The air from the balloon was exposed to a mixture of potassium permanganate and sulfuric acid and would turn purple if the person had been drinking. The level of intoxication was determined using the shade of purple and an equation Harger devised. Harger's invention earned him a spot on the five-person subcommittee of the National Safety Council, which created the legal outline for the alcohol limits for driving under the influence.
The device was initially called the Drunkometer as a joke, but the name was catchy and stuck. It was first used on December 31, 1938, by police in Indianapolis and was an immediate success. The Drunkometer continued to be the standard method for the roadside testing of suspected drunk drivers until the 1950s when it was replaced with the Breathalyzer created by Indiana University forensic studies professor Robert F. Borkenstein. The Breathalyzer surpassed the Drunkometer in portability and accuracy using infrared spectroscopy to measure blood alcohol content.
Bibliography
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Wigmore, J. G., and R. M. Langille. "Six Generations of Breath Alcohol Testing Instruments: Changes in the Detection of Breath Alcohol Since 1930. An Historical Overview." Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal, vol. 42, no. 4, 2009, pp. 276-83. doi.org/10.1080/00085030.2009.10757614. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.