Breathalyzer

As I was flipping through the dial last night, I happened to tune into the Larry King show. Tracey Gold, the actress--best known for her role as Carol Seaver on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains--was Larry's guest. Tracey shared the frightening story of how she rolled her Yukon after drinking two glasses of wine at a private party. Why the heck am I babbling about this? Because it could have easily been preventable through the use of technology, that's why...

As a result, Tracey was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). She has since pled guilty to a felony drunken driving charge. Sentencing is slated for late March. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

While Tracey's taken full responsibility for the incident in which her oldest son fractured his collarbone and husband fractured his neck, one point is clear. It was preventable. If Tracey had been aware that she was over the legal limit for alcohol, she would have not gotten behind the wheel of the hulking SUV.

Tracey did not know her driving would be impaired. She didn't think that two glasses of wine would do it.

A simple breathalyzer test would have brought that to light.

Breathalyzers analyze the alcohol content of exhaled air. This correlates directly to the alcohol level in the blood stream. Once your blood alcohol content reaches 0.08 grams of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, you are considered to be under the influence (in most states).

A few months ago, I suggested that perhaps every fast food joint should have a defibrillator. Why can't every commercial establishment that serves liquor and beer offer a free breathalyzer test before a patron leaves the premises? Why don't hosts pick up breathalyzers at the liquor store with their party supplies? (There are fancy corkscrews that are more expensive, for Pete's sake.)

Oh sure, some bars have coin-operated breathalyzers ... but why should patrons have to pay? Why can't they be complimentary, along with the popcorn and pretzels on the bar, and the toothpicks and breath mints at the cash register?

Consumer grade breathalyzers start at well under $100. While they might not be as accurate as the professional models used by law enforcement officers (which can run over $500), the inexpensive breathalyzers offer a clue to those who might otherwise be clueless.