Business Notes Products

Every year about 20,000 people are killed on American roads by drunken drivers. Now several firms are promoting a product that could save some of those lives: disposable alcohol detectors designed for use by consumers. One device, called BreathScan and manufactured by Denver-based Prescott Technologies, is a 3-in. tube filled with yellow crystals. A motorist blows into the tube and if the crystals turn blue-green, knows that he is too intoxicated to drive safely. Such gadgets were invented years ago but have been sold almost exclusively to police departments and other institutions. Within a month, though, Prescott Technologies plans to sell the BreathScan for $1.59 in supermarkets, pharmacies and liquor stores nationwide. A competing product, the 15-Second Driver's Test from Luckey Laboratories in San Bernardino, Calif., may soon be widely available for $1.25.