September 26, 2007 

Arizona's new DUI laws kick in

          Last week our State Legislator, Trish Groe,  received two indictments, including felony DUI from her drunk driving arrest last March.  Ironically, the long awaited indictment came the same week Arizona’s new drinking laws went into effect, making Arizona’s DUI laws one of the toughest in the nation.
          Personally, I’m not much of a drinker, which makes me an ideal candidate as designated driver. Yet, it doesn’t stop me from wondering, how much is too much?  I understand that the current laws have absolutely nothing to do with someone “feeling okay.”  Maybe you really do feel okay, but if you are pulled over for a broken headlight, and the officer suspects you may have been drinking, will you pass the test?
          The legal limit is .08.  How much does is take to get you there?  While each person is different, the rule of thumb is four drinks in a one hour period, or five drinks in a two hour period.  That is for a 170 pound man.  It takes a little less alcohol for a woman to reach the legal limit. If you would like more information on this topic, check out an article by David J. Hanson, Ph. D., which includes charts on alcohol concentration.
          Just days after the new law went into effect, we were invited to a birthday party.  It was a very “festive” party….included a full, all you can drink bar, live entertainment, and great food.  It also included a limousine and (sober) driver.
          The host definitely likes to party, which led him to purchase his own limousine.  When he is out on the town, he hires a driver to chaffer he and his friends around.  (Wonder why Britney, Lindsey and Paris didn’t do this??)
          And so, as he hosted this somewhat gala event, he provided the limousine for his guests, insisting that those without a designated driver, would be chauffeured home.  He even offered to pick them up in the morning, to retrieve their cars. 
          I understand that we all can’t afford to have our own limo and driver waiting around, yet it definitely made me less sympathetic towards those well known, ridiculously rich celebrities who climb behind the wheel  after partying all night. 
          Did we take the limo home?  No, as I said, I was the designated driver.  But, I sorta wish I'd drank a little more…woulda liked a ride in a limo!

Bobbi Holmes