Portable breathalyzers: worth the investment?

[mehc012]

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Sleeping in your car and getting a DUI ive heard of. I have a masters in forensics and in grad school we spent a ton of time on this subject and feel pretty comfortable discussing it. And if you can get a DUI in California for letting your friend drive under their own free will, that may be morally wrong, but complete BS. E

Is that still true if you're in the back seat? My policy has always been to only open the back doors, tuck my keys out of sight behind the armrest (it folds up, I set 'em behind and then fold), then either doze off or watch Netflix on my phone for a while before grabbing my late-night pizza, coming back to the car, and driving home. I can't believe I would be held responsible for operating a vehicle while intoxicated if I specifically went out of my way to avoid so much as touching the goddamn driver's seat!

Meh, I'd probably pass a breathalyzer anyway for most of the times I do this...I have a really strict "if I've had a single drink within the last hour, no driving" rule for myself, because I figure that by the time I am too drunk to drive, I am more likely to be too drunk to evaluate that, and it's not worth the risk. So I guess I don't really care if this is a law, because I'd pass the breathalyzer and then what are they gonna do? Give me a DUI for erratic parking behavior?

 

[MedPR]

Is that still true if you're in the back seat? My policy has always been to only open the back doors, tuck my keys out of sight behind the armrest (it folds up, I set 'em behind and then fold), then either doze off or watch Netflix on my phone for a while before grabbing my late-night pizza, coming back to the car, and driving home. I can't believe I would be held responsible for operating a vehicle while intoxicated if I specifically went out of my way to avoid so much as touching the goddamn driver's seat!

Meh, I'd probably pass a breathalyzer anyway for most of the times I do this...I have a really strict "if I've had a single drink within the last hour, no driving" rule for myself, because I figure that by the time I am too drunk to drive, I am more likely to be too drunk to evaluate that, and it's not worth the risk. So I guess I don't really care if this is a law, because I'd pass the breathalyzer and then what are they gonna do? Give me a DUI for erratic parking behavior?

I think it counts if you have the keys and are in the car.

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[BABSstudent]

I think it counts if you have the keys and are in the car.

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That's what my grandpa says. Even if the keys are not with you, the possibility of the car rolling with the drunk "driver" sleeping in the passenger seat has caused him to arrest some people. However, arrest does not mean conviction. They might have argued out of it.

 

[Bangersandmash]

If driving after one to two drinks was considered a problem, a hell of a lot more people would get DWIs or kill people on the road after a meal.

Enjoy a drink or two and you'll be fine to drive. 3-4 is a grey area and you really shouldn't drive after 5. No one needs a breathalyzer to tell them that. Both sides of this argument are overreacting.

 

[Planes2Doc]

I don't get why everyone is hating on the OP. At least the OP wants to be responsible. Real life happens, and things aren't full of unicorns and happy things just because you're pre-med or going to be a medical student. They can do stupid things to. But in this case, I think the OP is trying to be responsible. Even though a DD would be better, having this breathalyzer would still be in the step in the right direction.

People are going to drink. There's no point in pretending that they won't. If life is going to happen, then we should at least make the best decisions when we're able to.

 

[MedPR]

I don't get why everyone is hating on the OP. At least the OP wants to be responsible. Real life happens, and things aren't full of unicorns and happy things just because you're pre-med or going to be a medical student. They can do stupid things to. But in this case, I think the OP is trying to be responsible. Even though a DD would be better, having this breathalyzer would still be in the step in the right direction.

People are going to drink. There's no point in pretending that they won't. If life is going to happen, then we should at least make the best decisions when we're able to.

The OP is trying to a avoid a DUI.. Not getting into an accident because they're intoxicated

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[Planes2Doc]

The OP is trying to a avoid a DUI.. Not getting into an accident because they're intoxicated

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I guess for most part they would go hand in hand. The people I know who have one or two drinks during an entire night out are obviously not impaired, would not blow a .08, and are fine to drive.

Hopefully most people, including the OP, would use common sense if one drink were to cause a huge decline in their driving abilities even though they would not blow a .08. This is definitely an issue for people on certain medications, where alcohol's effects can be potentiated.

 

[MedPR]

I guess for most part they would go hand in hand. The people I know who have one or two drinks during an entire night out are obviously not impaired, would not blow a .08, and are fine to drive.

Hopefully most people, including the OP, would use common sense if one drink were to cause a huge decline in their driving abilities even though they would not blow a .08. This is definitely an issue for people on certain medications, where alcohol's effects can be potentiated.

Yea that's the same thing I'm saying.

There's no reason to have the breathalyzer if you're only having a couple of drinks. On the other end of the spectrum, if you have to blow to check how drunk you are, you're probably not in any shape to be driving and seeing <0.8 is only going to give you false confidence that you can handle it and that's when things get out of hand and people get urt.

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[Planes2Doc]

Yea that's the same thing I'm saying.

There's no reason to have the breathalyzer if you're only having a couple of drinks. On the other end of the spectrum, if you have to blow to check how drunk you are, you're probably not in any shape to be driving and seeing <0.8 is only going to give you false confidence that you can handle it and that's when things get out of hand and people get urt.

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Great point! But for the people who want to be extremely cautious, having that breathalyzer might still make sense even if it only gives them a piece of mind. Getting a DUI, despite being a misdemeanor in most states (?), is very serious. So $275 might be a small price to pay even if the person still drinks very responsibly.

 

[def1]

I don't get why everyone is hating on the OP. At least the OP wants to be responsible. Real life happens, and things aren't full of unicorns and happy things just because you're pre-med or going to be a medical student. They can do stupid things to. But in this case, I think the OP is trying to be responsible. Even though a DD would be better, having this breathalyzer would still be in the step in the right direction.

People are going to drink. There's no point in pretending that they won't. If life is going to happen, then we should at least make the best decisions when we're able to.

Its just unnecessary. If you're going to drive, 1-2 beers isn't going to put you over the limit if you're an average size individual. If you drink 3 or more you really need to space out those drinks before you get ready to drive home.

Plus from everything I've read, even the fancy breathalyzers cops use can vary as much as 15% over or under. Many people have been arrested for blowing a .08 even though their true BAC was around .06. So even if the breathalyzer tells OP he is at .06 he can still blow over the limit on the cops breathalyzer.

Not to mention if a cop pulls you over and asks to breathalyze you that means there is a good chance he has reason to believe you are inebriated. If you blow under the limit, he can still arrest you if he believes you are too intoxicated. Even if you a 0 BAC, he can claim you are on some other mind altering substance.

Point is its a waste of money imo.

 

[MedPR]

Great point! But for the people who want to be extremely cautious, having that breathalyzer might still make sense even if it only gives them a piece of mind. Getting a DUI, despite being a misdemeanor in most states (?), is very serious. So $275 might be a small price to pay even if the person still drinks very responsibly.

Yea if you want to spend the money on it that's up to you. I'm just more concerned about the actual danger in drunk driving than I am the DUI. Both are serious, one much more than the other.

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[Planes2Doc]

Yea if you want to spend the money on it that's up to you. I'm just more concerned about the actual danger in drunk driving than I am the DUI. Both are serious, one much more than the other.

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Yeah I definitely agree with you. Most people I've ever been to a bar to are almost always concerned about a DUI, not getting into an accident. Maybe if people actually thought about the devastating consequences that can happen due to an accident (to other people), then they will think twice before choosing to drink excessively and drive.

 

[mimelim]

I am on Trauma call right now and had a patient a couple of hours ago who was driving intoxicated and got into an accident. Then he got out of the car and got into an altercation with the other driver and got beaten up. Came in as an assult/head trauma. Reminded me of this thread XD.

 

[MedPR]

I am on Trauma call right now and had a patient a couple of hours ago who was driving intoxicated and got into an accident. Then he got out of the car and got into an altercation with the other driver and got beaten up. Came in as an assult/head trauma. Reminded me of this thread XD.

Lmao

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[JGimpel]

Going into what a "wet reckless" is will probably violate the new, much stricter TOS, so I'll let you search on your own for that, but I say a group of people buy one of these BAC checkers that uses a fuel-cell mechanism and you agree to pay the cost of getting it serviced once a year. If you want to give your scientific-method skills a try, you could each try what it would be without any alcohol and measure what it takes for each person to get bad off enough to be unable to walk down a flight of steps without holding the rail and what would actually push you over a 0.08 and you'd be able to gauge how much you should be drinking according to what your actual tolerance is and what would definitely get you arrested. An informed opinion reached on your own will always be better than one that a cop gives you as he's booking you.

 

[PennDippody]

+100000. Anyone ever read Tucker Max's sushi story?!

lol totally read the first book nearly non-stop. The second was a gift and I guess the novelty had worn off by then. Never finished the first story.

 

[Erakis]

If you are a social drinker, then I definitely think that a breathalyzer is a worthy investment. My former roommate had one and he used it every time he had a drink over dinner or even the morning after a night out. It is alarming how high someone's BAC can be the next day after a heavy night of drinking.

 

[WompyWomperton]

op please just buy the breathalyzer and come back to this thread to let us all know that you got charged with a dui and wasted money on a toy.

Thanks.

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[nBeeDee]

Plus from everything I've read, even the fancy breathalyzers cops use can vary as much as 15% over or under.

60% of the time... it works every time. 👍

 

[TheGloaming]

That's what my grandpa says. Even if the keys are not with you, the possibility of the car rolling with the drunk "driver" sleeping in the passenger seat has caused him to arrest some people. However, arrest does not mean conviction. They might have argued out of it.

Are you kidding me? Your grandpa kinda sounds like a dick. An empty car has just as much chance of rolling than a car with a drunk guy sleeping in back. He better be in San Francisco or something because how often do you see a drunk guy sleeping in a car on a hill with the potential to roll and cause destruction? I really dislike this because a guy gets charged for this once and next time he is in the same situation and thinks, "I can either drive home or sleep in the back of my car. I guess either way I can get a DUI, I might as well drive." Cops should never ticket someone for making a responsible choice.

 

[BABSstudent]

Are you kidding me? Your grandpa kinda sounds like a dick. An empty car has just as much chance of rolling than a car with a drunk guy sleeping in back. He better be in San Francisco or something because how often do you see a drunk guy sleeping in a car on a hill with the potential to roll and cause destruction? I really dislike this because a guy gets charged for this once and next time he is in the same situation and thinks, "I can either drive home or sleep in the back of my car. I guess either way I can get a DUI, I might as well drive." Cops should never ticket someone for making a responsible choice.

Well you don't have to worry about him. He was shot in the line of duty and chose to retire after.

The responsible choice would be to get a cab or a DD.

 

[TheGloaming]

Well you don't have to worry about him. He was shot in the line of duty and chose to retire after.

The responsible choice would be to get a cab or a DD.

🙁 Oh man, well nobody wants to hear that. Yes, those would be the most responsible but for what ever reason those options may have not been available. Sleeping in the car may be a less desirable option but nonetheless, still responsible.

 

[CrimsonKing]

Sounds like you have crappy friends. Get some new ones who can handle not drinking once in a while.

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👍 This. An actual, responsible DD has ZERO drinks. Make that up to them by buying them dinner.

 

[loveoforganic2]

👍 This. An actual, responsible DD has ZERO drinks. Make that up to them by buying them dinner.

Oh come on, if you have 1-2 beers spread out over the course of 4 or 5 hours, you're not going to be impaired come drive time

 

[Mako555]

if im driving, i'll have one drink, and be sure to finish at least 30 minutes before i drive. or maybe 2 drinks and then wait an hour. you should never be so close to the limit that you need a breathalyzer.

 

[mehc012]

Well you don't have to worry about him. He was shot in the line of duty and chose to retire after.

The responsible choice would be to get a cab or a DD.

That is literally zero percent more responsible (in terms of driving under the influence) than sleeping in the back of your car. Either way, you aren't operating a motor vehicle. And you don't go 'get' a DD, you plan ahead and have one...but sometimes plans don't work out, you need to leave early, they drink when they promised not to, etc. Calling a cab when you're an hour away from home is just plain stupid. By the time you get home, you could just ask him to drive you back to your car. 2hrs later and ridic dollars poorer, you drive home as sober as if you had passed out for a few hours.

 

[mehc012]

Well you don't have to worry about him. He was shot in the line of duty and chose to retire after.

The responsible choice would be to get a cab or a DD.

That is literally zero percent more responsible (in terms of driving under the influence) than sleeping in the back of your car. Either way, you aren't operating a motor vehicle. And you don't go 'get' a DD, you plan ahead and have one...but sometimes plans don't work out, you need to leave early, they drink when they promised not to, etc. Calling a cab when you're an hour away from home is just plain stupid. By the time you get home, you could just ask him to drive you back to your car. 2hrs later and ridic dollars poorer, you drive home as sober as if you had passed out for a few hours.
I sleep in my car all the time, not because I'm drunk, but because I like to travel but I'm broke, or because I'm too tired to drive home and sleep is the only way to fix that. I don't consider sleeping in your car drunk any different than those situations...you aren't driving, or even anywhere near approximating driving, so a DUI is just plain cruel.

The only time someone should get a DUI when they are not actively driving is when a cop witnesses them get into the drivers seat with the keys and/or put them in the ignition. That directly prevents drunk driving. Citing people for avoiding intoxicated driving does the opposite.

 

[GorillaPanic]

I've had to sleep in my car instead of driving. Sleep in the back seat and put the keys in the glove compartment. I'd be surprised if a citation under those circumstances holds up in court.

 

[mehc012]

I've had to sleep in my car instead of driving. Sleep in the back seat and put the keys in the glove compartment. I'd be surprised if a citation under those circumstances holds up in court.

Yeah, that's what I was saying...it would be ridiculous for someone in the back seat not in possession of the keys (or, let's be real, with them put away in a pocket or something) to get a DUI because they are not driving. Even more ridiculous for someone who is neither in the driver's seat nor even conscious to get one.

 

[45408]

It's stupid to use a breathalyzer to judge your fitness for driving. But if you feel fine to drive and have anything to drink its a good practice to check yourself. Otoh I've felt BOMBED after 2 beers and certain I'd be way over the limit but wasnt even close. Like you I am a major craft beer head/massive brewer and a lot of the beers we deal with may be wayyy over the abv of your typical macrobrew. Like I said above, being a relative old head, my consumption while out is almost always limited to 2 to 3 drinks, and I almost never am out with friends getting bombed anymore, so a breathalyzer plays more of a role in my life vs your college ager who is going out with the sole purpose of getting bombed. In that case obviously get a DD or cab. Not to mention once you are a physician you will get crucifiedddddd by the media, ESP in smaller towns. I've seen it a few times now.

If you FEEL impaired, you ARE impaired. My brother had one of these in college, and it was more like $40. I don't know how exactly accurate it was, but it sure gave trends (it went up if you had another drink, and it came down as time went by). I don't think it's a bad idea if you're out at a party/cook-out, and it's been 4-5 hours with several drinks, and you're wondering if you're in a safe range. Again, if you feel impaired, you shouldn't drive, but people hold their alcohol differently, and it's not unreasonable to want to make sure you don't get a DUI if you're going to be (or are) a physician.

I just have a pretty simple two drink limit, unless I'm at an event for something like 6+ hours. According to any kind of BAC calculator, at my weight and gender, I'm probably at half the limit or less.

I am on Trauma call right now and had a patient a couple of hours ago who was driving intoxicated and got into an accident. Then he got out of the car and got into an altercation with the other driver and got beaten up. Came in as an assult/head trauma. Reminded me of this thread XD.

I can't even remember the last trauma patient I had with a blood alcohol in the .06 range. They're all more like .2 or higher, hours after the event.

 

[MedPR]

Oh come on, if you have 1-2 beers spread out over the course of 4 or 5 hours, you're not going to be impaired come drive time

Yea in hindsight that works out well. However, having one or two drinks tends to lead to three or four drinks and so on.

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[Gully Foyle]

Wompy,

As a former police officer, I'll try to address some of the points brought up, based on my experiences dealing with alcohol-related offenses.

1: Get a DD! I never cared that the occupants of a vehicle are intoxicated, AS LONG AS THE DRIVER WAS SOBER.

2: PBT's (portable/preliminary breath testers) are not the final word. I worked at an agency that got plenty of funding for top of the line equipment from the city council, but we were trained to never use PBT results as the final determining factor for establishing intoxication. The results were never accepted in court, due to their inherent inaccuracy...yes, even the "police" models.

3: Just because you blow under 0.08 on the PBT (see above) does not mean that you are not intoxicated, and your driving will not be impaired. Also, BAC levels change as time progresses. For example, if you blow .07, your BAC might still be rising (depending on amount of drinks, time of last drink, food eaten, BMI, liver function, etc...) and you might end up going above .08 while behind the wheel. I've seen it.

4: I don't think that it's immoral to purchase a PBT for personal use (your money, do with it what you want), but the standard 1 drink/1 hour rule is still the best advice to follow if you're in doubt. If you think that you have to be above the legal limit to be arrested for DWI, you are mistaken. Intoxication is generally defined as "not having the normal use and function of your body/mind to the point where it places yourself or others at risk." Generally.

5: At least in my state, you could definitely be arrested for being a drunk passenger in a car with a drunk driver (Public Intoxication). Seen it happen, done it myself, holds up in court just fine. Usually a low level misdemeanor, but it's still an arrest.

6: The main thing is that at the .07-.09 BAC range, inhibitions and reaction time are markedly decreased, but the perception of intoxication still remains very low (I'm fine, really, I am...). Something to think about if you find yourself in that situation. You don't want to be the guy to hit the minivan with the family of five. That guy never has another good day, ever.

Not trying to be preachy, but think carefully about your motivation behind making this choice. Is it worth the risk to you? DWI crashes almost never hurt the drunk as much as they affect the victim. Something to think about.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Best of luck to you.

Gully