WINGATE, N.C. — With a tiny device and an app, Wingate University student Ben Biron hopes to change the trend of alcohol-related deaths on the road.
"You tap. Blow. Within a couple seconds you should get your alcohol results," said Biron.
Biron and his partners developed what they are calling the world's first smartphone breath test – the Alchohoot.
"To be in college, we see people get too drunk. Sometimes they pass out and sometimes they drink and drive," Biron said.
The device, Biron explained, put the truth about whether a person is sober enough to drive in the palm of his or her hand.
Their mission is to reduce the shocking statistics from the Centers for Disease Control. In the United States, more than 10,000 people each year die in accidents involving alcohol-impaired drivers. That's 30 people a day or a life lost every 48 minutes.
"You can track the history of your tests through the night," Biron said.
Biron said the device gives drivers the same accurate results as conducted by police, so drivers can make good decisions.
"We want to give them the tool to do it moderately, to drink and enjoy the night without doing any mistakes," Biron said.
In Wingate, Biron believes there's already positive results.
"When I walk around on campus, people are already using it," Biron said. "I think we've already saved people's lives."