If You Think Breathalyzers Are a Good Idea Then Watch This

Remember when you got into a car as a kid? Sometimes you wore a seatbelt, sometimes you didn’t. Your parents rarely did.

Then people started dying.  Accident scenes were analyzed, and we realized, people weren’t wearing seat belts. It took a lot of time and repetitive messaging to change human behaviour, but it worked. It’s safe to say almost every person I know buckles up when they get in a car.

You would think drinking and driving would be the same.  You would think people know by now how dangerous it is. I think even the people who do it, know it’s wrong.  But alcohol and social settings make us act out of character.  Your intention is to visit and have one drink, but you get chatting and it tastes damn good.  You stay for another and maybe another.  Then you have to run and get home or maybe pick someone up.  Chances are you are impaired.

I think the accident in Vaughan, Ontario is still pretty fresh for a lot of people.  Three children were killed by an alleged drunk driver in September 2015.  The accused is 29 years old. I like many, was shocked that someone at 29 would drink and drive.

  This post was shared on social media this Christmas by Jennifer Neville-Lake.  The mom of the three children killed in a car accident.

When I was 6  years old, my sister woke me in the middle of the night to tell me my cousin had been in a bad car accident.  He was 17 years old.  He was drinking and driving. He was in a coma in a Toronto hospital for four months.  No one knew if he would live or die.  He did wake up, but with severe brain damage.  I knew as a kid I would never get behind the wheel of a car if I had been drinking. But you know, as I’ve gotten older, I can say there have been many times when I’ve had one drink, sometimes two and drove home.  I thought,  “Because, well, you are allowed some alcohol in your system”.

Many companies are now offering over the counter breathalyzers.  People can buy a device, as small as a keychain and check their BAC (blood alcohol concentration).  Some of them are as affordable as $20.  Although these devices have been around for a while, I had never heard of them.  I decided to ask my friends at the Peterborough Police Services if these devices are a good idea.  Of course I brought my partner, Gary with me.  I have to say, Gary and I were really surprised at what Constable Sean Nusink had to say about breathalyzers.  Watch here (total watch time 6:00).

Thanks again to One Eighty for sponsoring this episode of MF & Gary on Patrol.  The real message here is “PLAN AHEAD AND DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE!” And of course don’t let puppets drink or drive.

Seriously though folks, don’t do it.  Be safe.  I have to say after this interview I have thought a lot about drinking and driving. I will be more responsible. Even one drink isn’t worth it.

MF & Gary