After downing three drinks last weekend at Beer: 30, Mark Plesich took a break from a game of pool and headed over to the Alcohol Alert breath analyzer machine just a few steps from the bar.

He ponied up $1, grabbed a straw, inserted it into the table-top-size machine and blew.

The result: 0.01.

He was, at least according to Alcohol Alert, safe to drive — or drink more, depending on your point of view.

Beer: 30, located on East Tallmadge Avenue in Akron, is the first bar in the area to offer the machine to its patrons, with a goal of giving drinkers a tool to know when they've had too much and, possibly, cutting down on drunk driving.

''I think it's a great idea,'' said Plesich, 37, of Akron. ''It's
the first time I've ever seen one in a bar.''

The machine already is a hit. Patrons think it's fun to test their blood-alcohol level and some are learning it's not safe for them to drive, bartender Jenna Livers said.

24 Hour Vending recently installed the machine free for the bar and is planning to set up others in the Akron area. The company will make money off people using it.

''Any bar owner who wouldn't want it in their bar is crazy,'' said Don Lawrentz, owner of Beer: 30. ''If it saves one life, great.''

The breath analyzer works like this: A person pays $1 and, using a regular drinking straw, blows into a small hole in the machine, which measures blood-alcohol. The machine then notes the level and makes a voice recommendation, such as: ''Red alert. Do not drive!''

Different colored squares at the bottom of the machine light up, depending on the blood-alcohol level. White for no significant sign of alcohol. Green for low amounts. Yellow for possible impairment. Orange for nearing the legal limit. And red for intoxicated according to the legal definition.

''Instead of finding out how drunk you are on the road when the sirens come on, find out right here before you leave,'' said Joe Skye, owner of 24 Hour Vending. ''It's probably not for the five DUI guy or girl; they need another AA program.''

The legal blood-alcohol limit in Ohio is 0.08, although drivers can be charged with impaired driving even with a lower amount in their system.

The manufacturer, KeRo Corp. of Scottsdale, Ariz., claims that Alcohol Alert is accurate to 0.02 percent. The machine is calibrated similarly to law enforcement breath analyzers, Skye said.

MADD and the State Highway Patrol, though, warned that people shouldn't feel a false sense of security by using the machine. They recommend that drinkers use a designated driver or call a taxi.

''We don't advocate ever driving a vehicle after you've been drinking alcohol,'' said Doug Scoles, executive director of MADD Ohio.

He said that the intention of the bar breath analyzer — to keep people from driving drunk — is a positive one.

Patrol Sgt. Jeremy Landis also noted that the bar breath analyzer doesn't mirror real-life conditions.

''There's more to it than blowing into this machine,'' he said.

Indeed, a giant disclaimer is plastered on the wall behind the machine. The bar takes no responsibility for drunks who end up getting behind the wheel after using Alcohol Alert.

The machine also can provide false readings.

Plesich tried it twice. The first time, he didn't wait long enough after having a drink, leading to a reading of 0.07. That high mark shocked him.

For his second test, when he blew a 0.01, he waited a few minutes and had a glass of water.

For details about the machine, call Skye at 330-573-0225 or go online to http://www.alcoholalert.com/.