A breathalyzer is a device for estimating blood alcohol content (BAC) from a breath sample. (Photo : Reuters)
Recent reports from different independent bodies and government agencies have shown that drunk driving is the most prevalent cause of injury and fatalities on the motorway. Considering this, some representatives in the state of California are considering installing breathalyzers into the cars of individuals who are repeat offenders or have been convicted of drunk driving in the past.
California Senator Jerry Hill had passed a bill that will make it a mandatory move to install breathalyzer to those people who will be caught of drunk driving. If the law will be passed, it will require residents of California who have records of drunk driving before will have an ignition block fitted in their respective vehicle and then will be linked to a breathalyzers or to a tube for alcohol level detection.
According to reports, if individuals will breathe inside the breathalyzer and if their alcohol level is more than the legal limit, the car would not start. Senator Jerry Hill said that if the bill will be passed it will encompass the whole state of California and positively help reduce the incidents of drunk driving. According to latest statistics, the state of California has recorded more than 20,000 injuries and damages to property and 1,000 deaths related to cases of drunk driving.
Currently the program is being tested in four different counties in California. Senator Jerry Hill added that repeat DUI offenders constitutes to one of every three DUI cases saying that if the bill will be enacted as law, it will greatly reduce incidents of drunk driving in the state of California.
Senator Hill has been the primary proponent of this bill, insisting that it must be promulgated nationwide. Currently, 24 other US states have similar or the same program and have been highly praised and is largely successful.
