What’s your reaction if you’re out at a club or having a good time with friends and you see a police officer walking around with a breathalyzer device? You might be nervous, because even if you haven’t got behind the wheel of your car yet, you may have been wondering how drunk you really are and if you should drive. But if California police have any say in it, you’ll be seeing quite a few officers walking around with breathalyzer tests, and their goal is to get you to think before you drink and drive.
Riverside police have launched a ‘Know Your Limit’ program
They want to send a message to anyone who is out drinking – you really have no idea what your blood alcohol concentration is until you take a breathalyzer test, and a breathalyzer is the only way to accurately know if you’re too intoxicated to drive.
Taking a free breathalyzer is a much better option than getting behind the wheel of your car and hoping you aren’t over the legal limit. If you are pulled over in California and charged with driving under the influence (DUI), you’ll receive anywhere from 4 days to 6 months in jail, pay fines up to $2,600, and lose your driver’s license for 30 days up to 10 months. A judge also has the option to require you to install a car breathalyzer.
It’s a great time of the year for police to offer free breathalyzer tests and increase awareness about how easy it is misjudge your BAC. With the holidays in full swing, people are heading out more frequently to house parties and office events. If you do decide to drink and drive, you should know that police all across the United States have ramped up their DUI patrols for the holiday season too, so stay safe this holiday and skip the driving if you’ve been drinking