Free Republic

On Tuesday, the Senate voted to approve a historic $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that—if signed into law—will have an effect on American transportation for decades to come. And thanks to section 24220 on page 1066 of the proposed bill, that transportation includes drunk driving. The stats on alcohol-impaired driving speak for themselves: Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities represent approximately 1⁄3 of all highway fatalities in the United States each year. In 2019, there were 10,142 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in the United States involving drivers with a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.08 or higher, and 68 percent of the crashes that...

As I wrote in an earlier article, new laws concerning drinking and driving came into effect in Canada on Dec. 18. As well as increased penalties, cops no longer have to have a “reasonable suspicion” that a driver has been drinking before demanding that driver provide suitable breath samples. As well, a police officer can demand someone provide breath samples if that person has driven anytime within the previous two hours. If the demand is made to a person drinking at home or in a bar and that person blows over the legal limit, he or she can be charged....

A cocaine breathalyzer may soon help cops sniff out the drug within minutes. The device could become a reality thanks to a new low-cost, chemical-sensing chip being developed at the University of Buffalo, the school announced Monday. The chip could be integrated into a handheld device and used by authorities to detect drugs in breath, spit, urine or blood.

In a new ruling, the Supreme Court of Georgia clarified the rights drivers suspected of DUI have when it comes to interaction with law enforcement officers and the implied consent law. The court made it clear that the state's constitution does not give law enforcement officers the ability to compel drivers suspected of driving under the influence to take a breath test by blowing into a breathalyzer. It brings to question whether or not a defendant's refusal of a breath test can be submitted as evidence in their trial. As it stands, prosecutors can submit a defendants' refusal of the...

A s far back as 400 BC, Hippocrates advised his students to smell their patients’ breaths to detect if they were ill. Now, researchers in America have invented a system which does just that, only rather more scientifically. A new analyser uses nano-rays to determine the precise chemical composition of a person’s breath. From that it is able to detect the “signature” of any of 17 serious diseases, from kidney cancer to Parkinson’s disease. Exhaled breath contains nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen, as well as small amounts of more than 100 other chemicals, but the relative amount of each substance...

A Michigan teen who was ticketed — as a passenger — for balking at taking a Breathalyzer test says that she refused because the detective did not have a warrant. Now 17-year-old Casey Guthrie has filed a federal lawsuit against the cop who slapped her with the $100 citation last month. The honor student is also challenging the constitutionality of a Michigan law that makes it a civil infraction for anybody under age 21 to refuse a police officer's request to blow into the device — and does not require the cop to produce a warrant. "No adequate remedy exists...

With marijuana legal in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington; decriminalized in 13 more states; and available by prescription in 6 more; there is a growing concern about driving and other activities while under the influence. Several companies are rushing to provide a breathalyzer to accommodate these concerns. The device is timely, since there is currently no way to verify recent marijuana use without taking spit or urine samples – a practice that would involve the collection of DNA and potentially run afoul of sections 7 and 8 of the 4th Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure.

..All vehicles travelling on French roads must carry a chemical or electronic breathalyzer test beginning Sunday, under new rules aimed at reducing alcohol-driven accidents. "Alcohol has been the main cause of mortality on roads since 2006," according to road security authorities. About a third of fatalities on French roads is due to drink driving, a rate that far surpasses the 17 percent recorded in Britain or 10 percent in Germany. According to a survey published Sunday, just over half of respondents -- 57 percent -- said they have yet to equip their vehicles with breathalyzer tests. Those who fail to...

DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ― North Dallas resident Micah Harleaux has nothing but fond memories of his best friend who was killed in a drunken driving accident. "Carl was an extremely funny individual, he had a biting sense of humor," Harleaux said. "He was full of life." Carl Lotspeich was killed nearly a year ago when a drunken driver slammed into the 25-year-old's car on the Dallas Tollway. The driver, who also died, was heading the wrong way. "There are advancements in automobiles like seat belts and air bags to protect not only the driver but also those...

Take a deep breath. The Herald has put state Sen. Anthony D. Galluccio’s oral argument to the test. The embattled Cambridge Democrat, on home confinement after pleading guilty to a hit-and-run crash, flunked a series of blood-alcohol checks this week - and he blamed it on his toothpaste. Galluccio claimed Sensodyne and Colgate Total Whitening toothpaste caused low readings on a Sobrietor, the device Galluccio uses. Galluccio said he brushed with both brands Monday before blowing into the device showing “several low level positive reads over the course of an hour.” A Herald test using an Alcohawk Slim Ultra digital...

OXFORD, Ohio—A man wearing a breathalyzer costume was arrested Sunday on suspicion of driving drunk. According to a police report, 18-year-old James N. P. Miller, of Cincinnati, was seen driving the wrong way out of the entrance to a one-way street at East Park Place in Oxford. Officers executed a traffic stop and found that Miller was wearing a breathalyzer costume. After investigation, police said, Miller was found to be operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Inside his car, officers allegedly found an open container of Bud Light in the center console. Officers also found what was left of a case...

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness. Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes...

Government to block EU breath test plan (Filed: 23/05/2004) A potential row is brewing between the Government and the European Commission over plans to introduce random breath tests across member states to cut drink-driving and boost road safety. The president of Tispol, the European Traffic Police Network, warned the Commission would attempt to make its recommendation a directive if it is not followed. But the Home Office is resisting, claiming such tests are inefficient and not an effective policing method compared to specific targeting of suspects. It is the first time Europe has made such a recommendation and the majority...