Legislators of all ilk are hell-bent on legislating stupidity out of existence. And every time they want to feel good about their value as watchdogs of the universe, they pass yet another drunken-driving "cure."
The latest cure to be thrown on the pile is an idea unanimously blessed by the Ohio Senate. If this bill becomes law, repeat drunken driving convicts will take breath tests when stopped by police and wear bracelets to monitor alcohol levels through their sweat. God knows what other feel-good gimmicks might be added before it gets through the Ohio House (and it will because it makes everyone feel better).
Let me guess what's in back of this. My guess is that this whole thing is a project of the manufacturer of this bracelet, which to my knowledge, nobody other than Ohio lawmakers have heard of.
I'm as much against drunken driving as anybody. That's why I've always thought that breathalyzers ought to be readily available so folks could check their own blood alcohol content. Several months ago, I called the Ohio Highway Patrol and the Newark Police Department to see if personal breathalyzers are available and if so where drivers might buy them. Their answers were something like: "Huh?" because, apparently, I was the only one who ever asked, and they never thought of it themselves. By now they might be more knowledgeable, and I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
Anyway, this morning's Google for "breathalyzer" came up with several such devices for sale, ranging in price from about $160 to less than $8, and presumably lots cheaper if you call for a price of 1,000 or more.
Why can't legislators simply provide for the availability of personal breathalyzers? How hard is that? Though it surely won't solve the drunken-driving problem, personal breathalyzers probably would keep lots of folks off the road who've had too much to drink. If drinkers can easily find out that they're "legally drunk" many (most?) are apt to stay off the road rather than risk getting arrested.
That auto makers aren't required to install breathalyzers in new cars is a mystery. That bars aren't required to sell them (even if the state has to subsidize part of the cost) is a mystery. That drug stores or Wal-Marts don't make these available, if only as a public service, is more mystery.
All these folks, especially legislators, are blind to what could be their most useful tool in the war on drunken drivers: a simple, cheap way to tell whether one is driving illegally.
Friday, May 11, 2007
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While widely available breathalyzers might be good, it's not all about the BAC. Everyone's different--someone could be well under the limit but shit-faced, especially if they have OTC, prescription or illegal drugs in the their system. So let's say they're BAC is .06. They may think "hmm, I'm under the limit, I can drive!" when in reality they should not because they're impaired. It would not be effective to make breathalyzers widely available if they still won't tell you whether you're safe to drive.
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ReplyDeleteYour point about breathalyzers not predicting one's ability to drive is right on target. I didn't say that they do. The point is that police use the breath test to make arrests and if you're liable for arrest you could find this out if you had a breathalyzer. As for other impairments, I wrote about that earlier when I wrote about the new DUI law. I'm going to run it again at this blog soon, so take a look at that and then see what you think. Thanks for your comments. It's about time someone argues with me.
ReplyDeleteBruce
Police don't just use breath tests, though. They also use field sobriety tests to prove impairment. In fact, the breath tests they use in the field (at the scene of the stop) aren't even admissible in court (in Iowa at least). Personally I think making breathalyzers available would be dangerous--it would provide a false sense of security and could send very impaired drivers down the road just because they blew under the level.
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