Would you rely on a drink-drivce detector?

An alcohol detector called Alcosense (www.alcosense.co.uk), which is a £99 bit of kit.

It is an easy-to-use personal breathalyser that can be set up for use in different countries with varying drink-drive limits. It is neat and easy to use with a 0.15 per cent margin for error.

Would I use one? To be honest, if you feel you need to check your reading then you probably shouldn’t drive anyway.

But as a “morning after” check, I can see some merit in it.

After all, the readings in this machine are claimed to be as accurate as the official police machines.

I certainly had an interesting evening drinking alcohol and watching the readings rise. It felt like a quality machine and the readings were about what I would have expected.

The car, I must add, was safely on the driveway.

Compared to basic, disposable breathalysers the £99 price of the Excel might seem steep, but its accuracy and reliability make it a good choice for professionals who need to really know for sure that they’re safe to drive, particularly the morning after drinking.

It is pocket sized and easy to use. Smaller than an average mobile phone, you could easily carry it around with you. It runs on batteries and has a very upmarket quality feel to it.

A company spokesman said: “Many brands claim they feature police sensors or similar, simply because they use a fuel cell sensor. But not all fuel cells are the same... The Excel’s sensor is identical to the law enforcement version, just smaller, giving the Excel unrivalled accuracy at this price point.”