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Drunk Driving: Americans Turn To Personal Breathalyzers As Fourth Of July Weekend Draws Near

By Charisse Van Horn
Published on: 07:38 PST, Jun 28, 2016

As Americans prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend, many are taking pro-active steps to avoid the consequences of driving under the influence by using personal breathalyzers.

There are several reasons why people use personal breathalyzers, but first and foremost, they serve as a monitoring tool to accurately keep track of blood alcohol content levels. This helps increase personal responsibility when drinking and allows friends and family members to recognize when someone has had too much to drink and might not be in a position to drive or operate a motor vehicle and other tasks that require a high level of concentration or responsibility.

The Fourth of July weekend is a time for cookouts, fireworks, and spending time with friends and family, but it’s also a time when many people get arrested for driving under the influence (DUI). It’s also a time when many fatalities occur due to drunk driving.

Video Review: AlcoMate Revo Personal Breathalyzer

Governments at the federal, state, and local level spend a great deal of time creating drinking and driving awareness programs, especially during the Fourth of July weekend. State troopers, police, and sheriff departments increase their patrols as they try to keep communities safe from drunk drivers.

For all the efforts and awareness programs the government creates, however, the responsibility for safe drinking during the Fourth of July weekend (and any other weekend) falls on the individual who chooses to drink. The decision to get behind the wheel of a car rests on the person who drinks, and for some, using a personal breathalyzer is a great way to make sure they are not driving illegally. However, if someone is concerned that they may be too impaired to drive, they most likely are. The only way to fully prevent drunk driving accidents is to have a zero-tolerance policy and not drive if you’ve been drinking.

Personal breathalyzers are also a powerful tool when trying to prevent someone from getting behind the wheel of a car. If someone is at a party or bar and has been drinking and their companions want to convince their friend or loved one that they are in no condition to drive, a personal breathalyzer is often the tool to accomplish the job. As some people will insist they are fine to drive when clearly they are not, personal breathalyzers can show intoxicated people in concrete numbers that should they get behind a wheel, they will be putting their lives and the lives of others at risk.

As drunk driving incidents continue to threaten the lives and well-beings of citizens, any monitoring tool that discourages people from drinking and driving is a welcomed solution to a serious problem by many. Some even feel that recent high school graduates and college students can greatly benefit from having a personal breathalyzer, as they learn how to navigate the world of alcohol-fueled college parties, concerts, and clubs.

Many people enjoy drinking during the Fourth of July weekend and take steps to prevent themselves from becoming a danger to themselves or others. They may arrange ahead of time to have a designated driver, to use public transportation or taxi cabs, or even schedule rides with services like UBER or Lyft when they know they will be drinking. Some organizations agree to provide free rides during the Fourth of July weekend in order to prevent people from getting behind the wheel. Personal breathalyzers are another tool that citizens are turning to as a way to monitor their level of intoxication as well as determining when others should stay off the roads.

Federal law determines the blood alcohol content a person must exhibit in order to be charged with driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI). The blood alcohol content for drunk driving is 0.08 percent, and at this level, you may be criminally charged with a DUI or DWI. Some people feel that personal breathalyzers are similar to speedometers. If your speedometer is broken, or you have no way of gauging how fast you are going, you might not realize when you’ve broken the law by speeding. Likewise, if someone has no way of knowing what their blood alcohol content is, they have no way of knowing if they are breaking the law.

Additionally, many drivers have been involved in accidents, including fatalities, when they were buzzed driving. Many people may feel safe to drive, when, in fact, alcohol has impaired their motor skills and concentration and decreased their awareness, contributing to accidents and fatalities. Personal breathalyzers help show drivers when they are over the limit and are putting themselves in danger, but as a general rule, anyone who has been drinking and questions if they are safe to drive shouldn’t drive until they are clearly sober.

Personal breathalyzers not only make the Fourth of July weekend safer by identifying drunk drivers with illegal blood alcohol content levels, but they can also offer reassurance that it is safe for someone to drive.

[Image via Roobcio/Shutterstock]

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