I am always amazed by the social acceptance of DUI offenses by a large part of the population. For instance, I have been at different establishments where persons are drinking and openly comparing notes on their DUI experiences, including different strategies to use to keep a driver’s license or evade detection. There is no embarrassment over being arrested and convicted, and seemingly little remorse or reflection over the experience. During these “informational” discussions, I have never heard anyone acknowledge the science of alcohol impairment and how it impacts upon reaction time, perception, and coordination – all of which are critical functions for safe driving.
The willingness of people to accept, to some degree, impaired driving was driven home again recently when someone called me to say they had heard people complaining that I had created a countywide law enforcement task force for a weekend patrol to target drunk drivers. The complaints had nothing to do with the cost of such a task force – the task force is not using tax dollars but is funded through monies paid into the criminal justice system by defendants. The complaints apparently arose from the fear of being pulled over on a weekend night by a task force officer. Of course, no one has anything to worry about – unless they intend upon driving drunk.
But therein lies the entire problem because the sad reality is that most people believe that they can tell when they are too drunk to drive safely. Most people have never really looked at the research on alcohol impairment and how it affects driving skills. While the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) in Pennsylvania is .08% for an adult driver, scientific studies have demonstrated that impairment of bodily functions from alcohol starts at a level well below .08%. For instance, the ability to divide your attention between what is immediately in front of you and dangers in your peripheral visions begins to diminish at a BAC of .02%. A single alcoholic beverage will generally place the consumer at this level – and the impairment of critical operating skills has begun. At a BAC level of .05%, there is an increased inability to keep a vehicle in its lane of traffic, a marked impairment in vision functions, and reaction time has already been impaired. Even at these “legal” levels, there is impairment of the ability to operate a motor vehicle – but as a society we have agreed to accept these impairments and allow persons to lawfully operate a motor vehicle. It is only after the alcohol consumption has reached levels in excess of .08% that criminal charges result. It is important to understand that these numbers have not been arbitrarily selected or imposed as a means to spoil the party – the BAC levels are based upon years of scientific research clearly demonstrating significant impairments resulting from such alcohol consumption and the inherent dangers of an impaired individual getting behind the wheel of an automobile while under such impairment.
No matter what I say, the doubting Thomas will remain, and brag about his or her super human abilities to operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated. It is the “not me” attitude that leads to the braggart at the bar that openly scoffs at the DUI statute and openly criticizes the police officers that work so hard to pull over an impaired driver before they destroy an innocent life. It is the “not me” attitude that runs blindly down the road to tragedy. The “not me” attitude can easily turn into a “why me” attitude as the impaired driver sits on the side of the road wondering how the accident could have happened. If the impaired driver is lucky, the accident did not kill someone. If impaired driver is unlucky, he may never have the opportunity to ask “why me” as his foolish action may have taken his own life, or he may ask “why me” from the back of a patrol car as he watches the coroner take away the lifeless body of someone who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Over the last 18 months, 4 drunk drivers killed 4 people in Susquehanna County – and each of those drivers said “not me” before getting into their automobile. Those drunk drivers are now sitting in state prison asking “why me?” The goal of the DUI task force is simple – protect the public from drunk drivers and protect drunk drivers from themselves.
Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments to Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, Pennsylvania 18801.
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(Published 26 January 2007)