Drinking and driving carry profound risks to yourself and those around you. You can be charged with driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated, or operating under the influence, even if you aren't in a traditional car. While drinking and driving, you struggle with impaired judgment, poor coordination, and limited reaction times. This means even if you are paying attention to your surroundings, which is unlikely, your ability to react to an oncoming vehicle, pedestrian, or any danger on the road, is severely limited.
Deadly facts about drinking and driving
- In a recent study, it was revealed that over three million college students drove while under the influence in 2021.
- Each year, over 1,500 college students die from injuries related to alcohol consumption, including car accidents.
Innovative Car Locks
Many college students make use of breathalyzer locks after drinking, mostly because they have already been convicted of drinking and driving, operating under the influence, or driving while intoxicated. However, you don't need to have lost a license and been charged higher premiums to take precautionary measures.
What is a Breathalyzer Lock?
A breathalyzer lock is a device that connects to your car ignition. It is often small and handheld. You blow into the mouthpiece before you start your car. If there are any traces of alcohol on your breath, the car ignition locks for a set amount of time.
Why Get a Breathalyzer Car Lock?
A breathalyzer lock is a great option if you have been convicted of drinking and driving and must meet your state requirement for an ignition lock device. With a breathalyzer lock, you can meet state requirements after a DUI conviction.
However, it's also a sound investment if you regularly imbibe, especially when it's unexpected or you aren't sure when it's safe for you to drive home. In these situations, a simple investment can now reduce the risks of a suspended license, increased insurance costs, and being a danger to society.
1. Avoid a Suspended License
Convictions for drinking and driving come with many conditions:
- Administrative suspension of your license,
- Mandatory alcohol education and treatment,
- Possible confiscation of your vehicle,
- Requirements for ignition interlock devices.
Without a breathalyzer lock to prevent you from driving home when you shouldn't, you can face a suspended license on a first offense for drinking and driving anywhere from 90 days to a few years. Delaware can suspend your license for up to 2 years following a conviction. Second and third offenses come with even higher risks, like the possibility of an indefinite suspension for a third offense in Oregon. One of the top brands of the breathalyzer lock, Intoxalock, is one of many devices you can use to avoid a suspended license.
2. Avoid Higher Insurance Costs
If you are convicted of a DUI, the national average increase in insurance costs is 70%. By comparison, getting a speeding ticket only increases your insurance cost by an average of 22%. Of course, this represents a national average. Depending on your state, you might face even higher consequences. North Carolina, for example, has the highest insurance increase after a conviction of drinking and driving, at 266%. Insurance rates in California go up by an average of 131%, $219% in Hawaii, and 93% in Indiana and Georgia. If you are prone to driving to social outings, dinners, and parties, and you don't want to risk having your insurance increase, a breathalyzer car lock can help keep you in check and know when it's time to get an Uber home.
3. Avoid Being a Danger to Society
Drinking and driving make you a danger to society. If you drive while impaired, you can be involved in a car accident that causes injury or death not only to yourself and those in your vehicle but the other vehicles with whom you collide. 30% of all deaths related to car accidents involve drunk drivers. Many presume that becoming a danger to society is only associated with a blood alcohol content above the legal limit, but this is far from true. Even after a single drink, you experience some loss of judgment, altered mood, and relaxation. These influence your visual functions, with a decline in being able to track moving targets on the road, as well as your ability to switch tasks.
At the legal limit, you have poor concentration, limited speed control, impaired perception, and an inability to process information like stop signs, traffic signals, or pedestrians on the road. Once you pass the legal limit, you might not be able to stay in your lane, apply your brakes, control your vehicle, or respond to any auditory or visual information while on the road.
Whether you have already been convicted of drinking and driving or want to stay safe and avoid the potential hassle of increased Insurance costs and losing your license, breathalyzer locks are a great investment.
