Initial data is now coming in from the breathalyzer selfie app BACtrack Mobile and it is shedding some light on U.S. drinking habits. As the first data from the app was calculated, it appears that users drank the most on what is the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, June 22, 2013.
The company that manufactures the device, San Francisco-based BACtrack, recently reported that the highest average blood alcohol content (BAC) recorded between April 2013 and April 2014 was on June 22, 2013, at 0.115 percent. The legal limit before one is considered illegally intoxicated in the U.S. is 0.08 percent.
Authorities are hoping that data such as this can help better pinpoint U.S. drinking patterns in the future helping law enforcement focus their efforts to combat drinking and driving.
The app, a breathalyzer that sends readings via Bluetooth to a smartphone, allows users to check their blood-alcohol content before getting behind the wheel. What the BACtrack data is finding is that more than 15 percent of the 100,000-plus users are actually testing friends. Interestingly, the data shows that tests on friends showed an average BAC of 0.85 while those that tested themselves recorded a 0.066 BAC.
Digging deeper into the data the app is providing, the highest average BACs are being recorded for Saturday-night drinking, peaking at around 4 a.m. Sunday morning with a 0.113 BAC.
Looking at the geographic info the app is providing was interesting as well. Users in Montana and South Dakota recorded the highest average BAC at 0.101 percent. The lowest average recordings were found in New Hampshire at 0.012, Delaware at 0.027 and Utah at 0.031 percent.
Not surprisingly, and again of interest to those attempting to combat drunk driving issues, the BACtrack data coincided with the number of arrests for drunk driving -- Montana had the highest number of arrests per capita in 2013 and New Hampshire checked in with the lowest.
"Our goal is to enlighten the general public on alcohol consumption habits so that they become more responsible drinkers," explained Keith Nothacker, founder of BACtrack.
Nothacker added the company's plan is to regularly update and analyze the data to gather insights into global drinking habits.
According to recent statistics from MADD, drunk driving costs the U.S. $132 billion a year. Even more shocking is the fact that a drunk driver has driven legally intoxicated an average of 80 times prior to their first arrest.
