| The unfortunate reality of alcohol is that when | | | | and realize your car won’t start because you |
| consumed it clouds judgment and leaves people | | | | had a glass of beer with dinner. Plus, what effect |
| making choices they later regret. Officers pulling | | | | will it have on restaurants if diners can’t have |
| cars over for drunken driving use breathalyzers | | | | one drink with dinner. It could either raise the |
| or an <a title=Alcohol testing device at TriMega! | | | | amount of soft drinks ordered or significantly |
| rel="nofollow" | | | | lower the amount of money their patrons are |
| onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(' | | | | spending. |
| outgoing/article_exit_link');" href= testing | | | | Currently, the blood alcohol level is set to .08. For |
| device</a> to measure the level of alcohol | | | | a long time the level was .10 but it was lowered. |
| that has been consumed by the driver. While | | | | Basically a woman who is around 120 pounds |
| there are other more detailed alcohol tests, such | | | | could not share a bottle of wine during dinner. If |
| as <a title=Alcohol hair testing at TriMega! | | | | she did she would be considered legally drunk |
| rel="nofollow" | | | | regardless if she could drive safely or not. The |
| onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(' | | | | new car device would set even lower limits to the |
| outgoing/article_exit_link');" href= hair testing< | | | | blood alcohol levels somewhere between .03 and |
| a>, these types of tests can’t really be | | | | .05. This means that a glass of wine or beer with |
| done on the side of the road. However, now a | | | | dinner for an average individual would probably set |
| new system is being looked into that could | | | | off the device and make it impossible to drive the |
| potential detect and measure the level of alcohol | | | | car. You’ll have to hope the person you dined |
| in your body when you grab the steering wheel. If | | | | with did not have a drink as well so they could |
| the car detects that you have had too much to | | | | drive you home. |
| drink, based on the blood alcohol level, then the | | | | Would this save lives? Maybe. It might be a way |
| car would not start. | | | | to start at least, especially if the device was |
| Sound like a dream? Why haven’t they | | | | standard or required for all automobiles. Obviously |
| considered this before? Well, to analyze and know | | | | if it was just an added feature people |
| the amount of alcohol in the blood is often difficult | | | | wouldn’t add the feature or they would |
| due to the fact that the body breaks it down so | | | | instead buy another car. To be successful it would |
| quickly. However, if they could develop something | | | | need to become an industry standard. It’s |
| that would save even just one drunk driver from | | | | too bad you can extend this device to temper |
| getting on the road and hurting someone it might | | | | the terrible driving habits of those speaking on |
| be worth it. | | | | their cell phones and swerving on the road, those |
| The main problem associated with this idea is that | | | | sleeping at the wheel or reading a newspaper at |
| it might affect casual drinkers as well as drunk | | | | the red light. There will still be careless drivers |
| drivers. How sensitive would the device be? | | | | even if we take the drunken ones off the road. |
| Would it just detect the alcohol in general – | | | | But, perhaps, this might be one more step to |
| would a glass of wine with dinner set it off? | | | | creating safer roadways even if it doesn’t |
| You’d hate to be on a date, get into the car | | | | solve all the problems. |