Breathalizer machines to be installed at midwest bars.

[Kerrie]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Midwest/03/19/coin.operated.test.ap/index.html

In this small town, breath testing machines will be installed in the two local bars to ensure customers are not drinking and driving. WHAT A GREAT IDEA!! Makes you wonder why no one thought of it till now. Perhaps it will cut down on DUI's? Hopefully...what I wonder is, how do the law enforcement people feel? DUI's bring in huge fees and fines because people most likely will continue to drink and drive...so if breath tests were installed in most bars (which they can't be that expensive, especially if they are mass marketed), would it eventually hurt the local government collecting these fines?

[Njorl]

Local municipalities would be happy for all drunk driving (all public drunkenness for that matter) to stop. A speeding ticket might only be for 5-10% of the fine of a dui, but you don't have the court costs, the property damage, the time spent arresting, booking, and incarcerating the offender. If a locality wants to make money off tickets, there is an unending supply of speeders.

Njorl

[wasteofo2]

Originally posted by Kerrie
[url] Hopefully...what I wonder is, how do the law enforcement people feel? DUI's bring in huge fees and fines because people most likely will continue to drink and drive...so if breath tests were installed in most bars (which they can't be that expensive, especially if they are mass marketed), would it eventually hurt the local government collecting these fines?

If local governments take a revenue hit becuase there are less drunk drivers, they could always start going after people talking on cell-phones while driving. I live about 2 1/2 miles from my school, and on the way home, if I ever really care to count, usually I can see about 5-10 people talking on cellphones. In NY, the fine for talking on a cellphone wile driving is $300, if I were a cop and wanted to, I could probabally make about $5,000 a day if I pulled over people talking on their cell phones and told them to give me $200 and I'll pretend it never happened.

[Tatum]

"DUI's bring in huge fees and fines because people most likely will continue to drink and drive...so if breath tests were installed in most bars (which they can't be that expensive, especially if they are mass marketed), would it eventually hurt the local government collecting these fines?"

Hopefully they are all for it and it doesn't become another example of money over values or human life.