The Newfoundland and Labrador government of Canada has introduced changes to the Highway Traffic Act to give greater penalties to people who drink and drive but don't fail a breathalyzer test.

Currently, if the test finds a driver has a blood alcohol level greater than 0.08 he or she is charged with impaired driving.

If the changes are adopted, drivers who blow between 0.05 and 0.08 on a breathalyzer test will lose their driving privileges for seven days instead of the current 24 hours.

The penalty for repeat offenders will also increase up to a maximum of six months.

If you think these new changes may affect you, think about purchasing a breathalyzer for your personal use before you think about driving on the roads of Newfoundland and Labrador Canada.

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Source: CBC News, http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2010/06/15/nl-drinking-penalties-615.html

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Comments are appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Bicycle breathalyzer

Interesting news article to share today, a team of engineers at Taiwan's Chienkuo Technology University have built a bicycle with a separate electric motor driving each wheel, handlebar warmers and a breathalyzer that will prevent the bike from being ridden if the cyclist is over the legal limit.

It doesn't look like there is much demand for this type of invention, but kudos to the engineers for their ingenuity.

Source: Environmental Transport Association (ETA): The electric bicycle breathalyzer: The bike you can’t ride drunk

When many people think of alcohol abusers, they picture teenagers sneaking drinks before high school football games or at unsupervised parties. However, alcohol abuse is prevalent within many demographic groups in the United States. People who abuse alcohol can be:

• College students who binge drink at local bars.
• Pregnant women who drink and put their babies at risk for fetal alcohol syndrome.
• Professionals who drink after a long day of work.
• Senior citizens who drink out of loneliness.

In 2007, more than one fifth (23.3 percent) of persons aged 12 or older participated in binge drinking at least once in the 30 days prior to taking SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). This translates to about 57.8 million people. The rate in 2007 is similar to the rate in 2006 (23.0 percent).

To recognize the serious problem of alcohol abuse, April is designated “Alcohol Awareness Month.”

If you suspect that you might have a drinking problem, or you know someone who abuses alcohol, please contact SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7.

Source: SAMHSA: April is Alcohol Awareness Month

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To support Alcohol Awareness Month we have a special running this April; $5 off on any digital breathalyzer. To enjoy this discount simply add a breathalyzer to the cart and enter promo code AP10. This offer will expire the end of this month. We hope this enables more people to afford a personal breathalyzer. Have a safe and happy Alcohol Awareness Month.

This video has been spreading across the Internet like wildfire, a reminder that if you drink and drive you'll become a laughing stock of the internet, millions upon millions of people watching you embarrass yourself.

Drink responsibly and don't ever drink and drive!

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In December 2009 the NHTSA released the report "Fatalities and Fatality Rates in Alcohol- Impaired-Driving Crashes by State, 2007-2008."

The report says that in 2008, as compared to 2007, the overall fatality rate declined from 1.36 to 1.25 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel (VMT), a decrease of 8%, and the alcohol-impaired driving fatality rate declined from 0.43 to 0.40 fatalities per 100 million VMT, a decrease of 7%. From 2007 to 2008, the alcohol-impaired-driving fatality rate declined in 40 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and remained the same or increased in the remaining 10 States. An alcohol-impaired-driving crash is defined as a crash involving at least one driver or motorcycle rider (operator) with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher.

View the full report here

These results are encouraging, and the overall vehicle fatality rates for the first half (January-June) of 2009 look promising as well.

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Mohegan Sun Works to
Prevent Drunk Driving

The Mohegan Sun casino is taking steps to combat drunken driving and the changes will be evident next time you visit.

Following three DUI related deaths in 2009, both the Connecticut State Police and the Mohegan Tribe have stepped up DUI monitoring campaigns.

All casino employees have taken four-hour training courses for certification on alcohol awareness so that they know the signs of someone who is intoxicated.  An individual who is thought to be intoxicated will be taken to the lounge and offered a free Breathalyzer test.  If the individual is 'tagged' as intoxicated in the casino's computer system they won't be able drive home and can't puchase any alcoholic beverages at the casino for 24 hours.  They will however offer to call a cab for you.

Pretty cool idea of using technology to prevent intoxicated casino goers from driving drunk.

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Source: WFSB Channel 3 News, http://www.wfsb.com/news/21764054/detail.html

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We encourage you to leave expressive comments, let yourself be heard!

Gerald Gibson

A state trooper in northwest Ohio who was once honored for making the most DUI arrests has been charged with drunken driving.

A patrol spokesman says Gerald Gibson has taken a leave following his arrest last weekend.

He was most recently an investigator at the Allen Correctional Institution.

Gibson was off duty when police in the town of Waynesfield say he drifted left of center and then refused to take a breath test.

He was named 2002 trooper of the year in Lima and Mothers Against Drunk Driving honored him in 1997 for making the most drunken-driving arrests by a Lima trooper.

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Source: The Lima News, http://www.limaohio.com/news/trooper-43518-arrested-charge.html

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A sad and ironic twist in this man's career.  If you're innocent why wouldn't you submit to a breath test?  Getting a DUI is far worse than careless driving charge.

Got comments? Let us hear them!

Daniel Munoz

Daniel munoz, a 56-year-old man, told a judge he drove drunk despite a dozen convictions about the time his father died and his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“I had a lot of stuff on my mind, and I started drinking too much,” Daniel Munoz said Tuesday.

McHenry County Judge Joseph Condon told Munoz that alcoholics always would face triggers or stresses that they might use to justify drinking.

Condon sentenced Munoz to 10 years in prison for what a prosecutor said were his 13th and 14th drunken-driving convictions.

Munoz’ blood-alcohol level was 0.385 percent in the most recent incident.

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Source: Northwest Herald; http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2009/11/17/r_wrthi8bwrlcxur7wwlqodg/index.xml

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This drunk driver needs some real help! Perhaps 10 sober years will rehabilitate the man.

Comments? Type em' and submit em'!

Hypoglycemia Symptoms

Los Angeles DUI lawyer Lawrence Taylor, known nationally as the "Dean of DUI Attorneys", claims that many citizens accused - and convicted - of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) are actually innocent.  Their crime: diabetes.

Taylor, the author of the best-selling legal treatise Drunk Driving Defense, claims that the symptoms of a diabetic with hypoglycemia (low sugar level) resemble those of alcohol intoxication.  Further, he claims, diabetics have a chemical in their breath which causes breathalyzers to register high blood-alcohol levels.

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Source: Reuters; http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS79539+21-Sep-2009+PRN20090921

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This is important to note for all the diabetics out there, if you are comteplating purchasing a breathalyzer you should look at the fuel-cell models available.  A fuel-cell breathalyzer is not affected by the ketones present in those with diabetes so you will not get a false positive because of your condition.

Fortunately you can purchase a fuel-cell breathalyzer right here, take a look at the AlcoHAWK PT500 and decide if it is right for you.

Got comments? Let's hear em'!

Invented by Joe Saavedra, the SOBEaR is a teddy bear with a built-in Breathalyzer that the user must blow into befire receving a drink.  The SOBEaR calculates your BAC and serves an appropriate drink with it's motorized paws; the lower your BAC the higher the ratio of alcohol to mixer it will serve; too high and it gives you straight mixer with no alcohol.

An interesting party idea, but no replacement for a designated driver.

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Source: Brand X; http://www.thisisbrandx.com/2009/08/let-teddy-pour-you-a-drink-the-bartender-robot.html

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What are your thoughts?