June 2008 - Posts

• In the who-will-guard-the-guardians department: Ex-Detective Gets More Jail Time in Alcohol Cases Seattle, WA.  June 27  -  A former Seattle police detective who set a breath-test record was sentenced to more than a year in jail and three months in home detention for a series of alcohol-related driving cases, two of which involved minor crashes… Last year, Jarrett [...] Posted Jun 29 2008, 09:15 AM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• Breathalyzers Soon Mandatory for All Cars

  I’ve written repeated posts in the past about the highly unreliable ignition interlock devices (IIDs) which have been widely publicized by MADD as the way to “eliminate drunk driving once and for all”.  See, for example, The Truth About Ignition Interlock Devices, Ignition Interlock Devices: Dangerous but Profitable and New MADD Goal: All Cars Equipped with Breathalyzers.  [...] Posted Jun 27 2008, 10:07 AM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• Anatomy of a DUI Lynching

  American citizens are considered to be innocent until proven guilty – unless it involves  drunk driving, in which case a MADD-inspired hysteria takes over. Consider the following news story.. Larchmont, NY.  June 10 - Mike Mezansky, a former star Mamaroneck High School baseball player accused of driving drunk and hitting a child, said his legal problems took [...] Posted Jun 25 2008, 10:54 AM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• MADD “Statistics” Again Debunked

  As I’ve posted repeatedly in the past, MADD’s prohibitionist zealots are fond of twisting statistics to justify their expansion of unfair laws, Draconian penalties and unconstitutional procedures.  See, for example, A Closer Look at DUI Fatality Statistics, MADDness and Lies, Damned Lies and MADD Statistics. The truth is finally beginning to emerge: A Reality Check on DUI Claims  Groups purposely [...] Posted Jun 23 2008, 10:01 AM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• DUI Laws Overrule Scientific Truth

  It is an unfortunate fact that law and politics repeatedly trump science when it comes to prosecuting citizens accused of drunk driving…..   In People v. Bransford, to cite one notable example, the California Supreme Court was confronted with a defendant who was challenging his DUI conviction on the grounds that he was not permitted to [...] Posted Jun 18 2008, 08:45 AM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• MADD’s Latest Weapon: Update

  My post last week concerning a California High School’s efforts with MADD to traumatize their students, drew quite a reaction from readers.  The following is an update: School Defends Drunken Driving Hoax Oceanside, CA.  AP, June 12 – School officials in Oceanside, California, are defending a scared-straight exercise that sent some El Camino High School students into hysterics.One Monday [...] Posted Jun 13 2008, 07:31 AM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• The Unknown Variable

  The single most important factor in whether an individual will be arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) is not the evidence. It is the individual human differences of the officer himself. A study by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration [U.S. Department of Transportation Report No. H5-801-230] points out the effect of these differences [...] Posted Jun 12 2008, 08:11 AM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• The Hidden Danger of “One for the Road”

  In previous posts, I’ve explained many of the reasons why breathalyzers are inaccurate and unreliable. See, for example, “Breathalyzers — and Why They Don’t Work“; ”Warning: Breathalyzer in Use“; ”Convicting the ‘Average’ DUI Suspect“; “Why Breathalyzers Don’t Measure Alcohol“; “Driving Under the Influence of… Gasoline?; ”How to Fool the Breathalyzer“. (These and many other sources [...] Posted Jun 08 2008, 08:05 AM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• MADD’s Latest Weapon

  So where is MADD going with their “War on Drunk Driving”? El Camino Teens Face Heavy Emotions Brought About by Drunken-Driving Dramatization Oceanside, CA.  May 30 – It was an elaborate hoax, but 36 students at El Camino High pulled it off with potentially life-saving consequences. The result was a soberingly realistic dramatization about the dangers of drinking and driving, [...] Posted Jun 04 2008, 01:07 PM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog

• Due Process and Automatic License Suspensions

  So you got stopped last night and arrested for drunk driving. And right after the breathalyzer showed a blood-alcohol reading of .12%, the officer confiscated your driver’s license and gave you a piece of paper that said it was immediately suspended. What happened?, you ask. Can they do that? I thought I was presumed to be [...] Posted Jun 03 2008, 06:11 PM by DUI BLOG Filed under: Duiblog