| Who needs to go to Vegas to gamble? Even people | | | | poor bet indeed. |
| who would say they are not gamblers roll the dice | | | | In 1936 Norway, the first laws based on a specific |
| every time they get into a car. Approximately 33% of | | | | amount of alcohol in the blood were introduced. With |
| Americans will be involved in a traffic accident | | | | the invention of the BAC (blood alcohol content) test, |
| associated with alcohol at some point in their lives and | | | | objective, but some would say not so reliable, chemical |
| 39% of auto deaths are related to alcohol. Driving | | | | tests have been added to supplement those based on |
| under the influence is akin to playing a very high stakes | | | | judgment alone. The stakes have grown. Guilt is |
| game. Not only with the highest stakes of all, human | | | | assessed based on a percentage of alcohol in the |
| lives, but the loss of freedom through increasingly | | | | blood by weight. |
| invasive laws designed to deter or prevent drunk | | | | Next came sobriety checkpoints where drivers are |
| driving. In Vegas, the house always wins. When a | | | | stopped seemingly without probable cause to effect |
| drunk driver causes an accident, nobody wins. | | | | field sobriety tests or alcohol breath tests. This activity |
| In September of 1897, London taxi driver George Smith | | | | would appear to violate the 4th amendment to the |
| was the first person to be convicted of drunk driving. | | | | constitution but was deemed constitutional by the |
| His fine was 20 shillings. Guess he lost that bet. The | | | | Supreme Court in 1990. |
| first drunk driving laws in the United States were | | | | Criminally negligent homicide, murder and manslaughter |
| adopted in 1910. Those early laws only required proof | | | | are some serious charges drivers can receive. For |
| of intoxication and not specifically what state of | | | | convicted drunk drivers, the minimum punishment is |
| intoxication. Initially, observations of erratic or impaired | | | | license suspension, in some areas short jail sentences |
| driving, such as weaving in and out of traffic were | | | | for first offenses and/or mandatory treatment |
| used to establish guilt. Later came field sobriety tests; | | | | programs. The stakes have grown higher. |
| such as walking a straight line or standing for 30 | | | | So think twice, or even three times before you get |
| seconds on one foot. Demonstration of guilt utilizing | | | | behind the wheel because you are not only gambling |
| these tests was based solely on the police officer's | | | | with our lives but with our continued freedoms as well. |
| opinion as to possible impairment. They were | | | | No one holds all the aces in this game. |
| subjective at best and wholly inaccurate at worst. A | | | | |