DUI stories have been in the news a lot recently - just had a friend who is facing the judge for his 2nd DUI explain how he might actually get house arrest instead of going to tent city.
I always thought facing tent city was a pretty big deterrent. Especially in the summer-time when the extreme heat in AZ would have inmates facing over 100 degree heat at night - not to mention the rats and bugs!
But I guess what they are looking at is the cost savings of house arrest. The program is aimed to reduce the expense of placing non-violent DUI offenders in jail; the city of Scottsdale says it could save up to $1 million each year by using house arrest alternatives. In addition, the program aims to allow offenders to keep their current jobs which would be surrendered in a longer jail stay. The house arrest option would not be presented to violent offenders or those without employment. Any offender with a history of domestic abuse charges would also be ineligible. According to reports, this means only about 50 percent of all offenders would be eligible.
Another news item I ran into was a Real Housewives of New York, Sonja Morgan, getting arrested for a DUI. She is a wealthy housewife for God's sake! Doesn't she have enough money for a Towncar or limo so she can ride safely?? She was the wife of J.P. Morgan's great-grandson. I'm sure the J.P. Morgan family still has money.
Why don't people learn that a great way to avoid all these legal troubles is to just plan your night in advance and book your AZ sedan service. Or leave you car at the restaurant or club and call us for a ride home!
As another prom season starts, we hold our breath, cross our fingers and educate, educate, educate and hope these young grasshoppers don't try and drink alcohol (or use drugs).
We hope that the parents and kids who organize the rental of the Arizona Prom limo and party buses pass along the Teen I Promise document to all their friends riding in the vehicle. We hope that all the parents sign the document too.
We hope that the one teenager with the brillant idea of sneaking vodka into the water bottle he is carrying, or into the hairspray bottle in her purse, think twice. Think hmmmm, maybe I don't want to ruin the event for all my friends. Maybe this driver (well we call them chauffeurs) will figure it out. Maybe he will smell the vodka on my breath, notice that I'm walking kinda funny and figure out that we've been sneaking alcohol. Then he'll call my parents and they will call all the other parents. And the ride will be over. Maybe it is not such a good idea to try and drink afterall. . . . .
Hopefully at this age, teens don't think that they need liquor to have a good time! And with all the money that is spent on the special prom nights - it's really not worth the risk!
We hope, we hold our breath and cross our fingers, every year that we can get through a prom seaon without any alcohol incidents in the Arizona prom limos and party buses. Please, please teens who have booked with our company follow the rules (and of course the law) and do not drink in our vehicles, or during your reservation, for your fun prom night!
Below are some great concerts coming to Phoenix! Take a
limo,
party bus or sedan/
SUV to a concert so you can have cocktails on the ride there and back - and at the venue - without worry of a DUI!
January 2010:
1/3 - Lewis Black - Tucson Music Hall
1/8 - Stephen Lynch - Orpheum Theatre
1/15 - Weezer - Dodge Theatre
1/16 - Kathy Griffin - Dodge Theatre
1/18 - 1/24 - 39th Annual Barrett-Jackson- The World's Greatest Collector Car Auctions - Westworld Scottsdale
1/23 - Slayer and Megadeath with Testament - Dodge Theatre
1/29 - The Music of Led Zeppelin and The Music of Queen - Dodge Theatre
February 2010:
2/5 - George Straight & Reba - US Airways Center
2/6 - Gabriel Iglesias - Dodge Theatre
2/9 - Chris Botti - Dodge Theatre
2/24 - Bon Jovi - Jobing.com Arena
2/17 - Alice in Chains - Dodge Theatre
2/22-2/28 - The FBR Open is now the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Same fun. Same location. The 2010 tournament will be held February 22-28 at the TPC Scottsdale. Huge parties and lots of fun surrounding the event!
March 2010:
Upcoming hot show in Phoenix - 3/28 WWE Wrestlemania - University of Phoenix Stadium
Ride in style and safely with one simple call to 602-996-LIMO!
Take a Hummer or Escalade limo to your favorite concert! Concert & event tickets available at http://www.ticketmaster.com or http://www.livenation.com
This is so powerful - watch this video!! At first I thought there was too much emphasis on the accidents and gore and less about the drinking. But then I thought again - people know how to have fun drinking. People know too much about having fun drinking without thinking about the consequences.
Please be safe this holiday season!
Are you driving down the road with a binge drinker? Betcha that you are - you actually have a 1 in 10 chance of driving on the road with somebody who has just consumed 5 or more drinks.
Let me repeat that - you have a 1 in 10 chance you are driving down the road with somebody who has had 5 or more more drinks! Amazing. About 50% of the binge and drive group have just come from drinking at the bar, restaurant or club. About 25% of those people actually had 10 or more drinks and then got behind the wheel!
Binge drinking is often associated with college kids - but in reality it crosses all age groups - there is actually a greater chance the binge drinker is 55 or older. Old enough to know better. Old enough to have the money to pay for a taxi or Phoenix limousine.
It just seems like people won't learn. The economy is bad and people are downsizing and reducing frivolous expenses. So now instead of getting a Phoenix limo they drink and drive. I'm sure a lot of people spent some times behind bars this last Halloween - instead of trick or treating or having fun - they got caught and will be paying for the consequences for a long time to come - financially and emotionally.
Local law enforcement is looking for additional ways to earn revenue for the State (hence the traffic cameras everywhere). DUIs cost a lot of money - I'm sure they are a revenue generator for the State of AZ. . . . so I don't think that enforcement is going to be reduced with budget cuts.
And it's not just because it is against the law and can be expensive if you are caught drinking and driving. It is wrong because you can hurt somebody.
Binging and driving - do you do it? Will you stop?
He thought he would be okay - he only had two drinks. Then waited at the bar for two hours before driving. No way would be be caught for a DUI. But he rolled through a stop sign rather than coming to a full and complete stop. Those red and blues flashing in his rear view mirror and damn going through his mind as he pulled over.
He was arrested taken into the horseshoe and booked on DUI charges. It doesn't matter if you aren't above the legal limit - if your driving is impaired - and the cops can prove it is from breaking a traffic law (the rolling stop) - then you are busted.
DUI - you can't afford it - it is not worth it. If you drink - even just a few - don't get behind the wheel! Or rent a sedan, SUV or limo.
I just finished reading an article about mandatory interlock devices - about 47 States mandate interlock devices for first-time DUI offenders and every year there are over 13,000 deaths from drunk drivers with blood alcohol over .08. Pretty interesting.
I know that one of my best friends got interlock after her 2nd DUI - she was happy because she felt like helped her not drink and drive. She has admitted to having a problem with drinking and has gotten help. Yes it was a pain to have to blow in the device - especially if she was talking on the phone or eating while driving. Sometimes she would lose her breath and not be able to get the right "hum" out and the machine would report an error.
Another friend of mine refused the field sobriety test (2 times) and didn't want to pay for the interlock device (which is required if you refuse a test) - so got is license suspended. He still drives - he still drives drunk. I think the device would be awesome for him. He doesn't seem to be able to control his drunk driving once he has a few cocktails. It just seems like a good idea to drive - after drinking - after two DUIs in the last 6 months - on a suspended license.
I think if there was a way to make an interlock device or sobriety monitoring device for all vehicles be unobtrusive and not a pain in the neck for sober drivers. Something that takes the measurements from your skin on the steering wheel or looks at your pupils like the article suggests it would be a great advancement to prevent drunk driving accidents.
Drink at home, get a cab, order a Phoenix sedan or AZ limo service - but don't drink and drive. Maybe if the stats go down to zero for DUI accidents - car manufactures can concentrate on other improvements than thinking of breathalizers and interlock devices.
What do you think? Do you have any personal experience with interlock devices? What it every car had something to measure drunk driving built in it - would that be acceptable to you?
We are right in the midst of Homecoming Dances and some parents of teenagers are worried and wondering if their children are drinking. Of course we all know that teen drinking is bad - although some parents think it is a "right of passage" and look the other way.
Hopefully, most of us parents realize that early exposure to alcohol can have long-term consequences and lead our children down a path of destruction and addiction. Surprisingly addictions kills more women than Breast Cancer - but there is no "Three Day Walk for Alcoholism" in the same fashion as breast cancer - mainly, I think, because most feel that addiction was brought on by the person's bad behavior rather than being a true disease.
Recent studies have found that of those individuals who began drinking before age 14, 47 percent experienced dependence at some point, vs. 9 percent of those who began drinking at age 21 or older.
So waiting to drink is good - but how do we get that message across to our kids?
Here are 6 tips:
1. Talk early and often with your children about drinking. Get in the habit of talking every day with your child.
I try and ask my daughter 3 questions every day to keep lines of communication open
- What was the best part of your day?
- How do you feel about you today?
- Tell me three things you are grateful for today.
2. Get involved. Volunteer at school or in after school activities. Young people have less mental health and substance abuse problems when they have caring people involved in their lives.
3. Be a role model. Your own actions are the most powerful indicators of what is acceptable or unacceptable to your children. If you drink heavily or take drugs in front of your children, there is a good chance they will follow suit.
4. Teach kids to choose friends wisely. Their peer group will be one of the biggest influence's of their actions as teens. Who are your kid's friends and their families - get to know them and discourage the friendship if you see red flags.
5. monitor your children's activities. Limit the amount of time your child spends without adult supervision. Unsupervised they run the risk of experimenting in risky behavior including drugs and alcohol.
This is the reason so many of the parents of our Homecoming and Prom groups in our limos and party buses like how strict we are about Teen Drinking. We require that all underage passengers and their parents sign a Teen I Promise document stating that they will not drink on this night and that if they are caught the night is over (that we will inspect bags, they cannot bring their own opened water bottles on-board, etc., etc.). We take it very seriously and have terminated many rides when they are caught drinking.
6. Set rules. Make clear, sensible rules for your children and enforce them with consistent and appropriate consequences. Follow through is key - as I have learned the hard way. Saying your child is grounded for life (like I do out of frustration sometimes) is not realistic or enforceable. . .
We just finished another wonderful long weekend, Labor Day, a time when family and friends get together and celebrate the end of summer and the kids being back in school! Unfortunately, for many people the weekend celebrations ended up in a DUI arrest. Now they are on a long path of huge expenses and legal trouble.
How do you avoid a DUI? It is simple and easy - just follow these steps:
1. Drink at home - you organize the party and invite all your friends and family over. Make sure and wash the guest bed sheets and get some blankets ready for the couch because there will be some friends that need a place to sleep it off and that is okay. It is better to have some people over for breakfast who are alive - than have them killed or hurt somebody else in a drunk driving accident.
2. Find a bar/restaurant you can walk to. Just be careful of really over doing it because you can get in trouble for public intoxication - or even get a DUI if you are caught riding your bike when drinking. This works better if you live in Scottsdale or Tempe - but there are usually neighborhood bars in well - every neighborhood.
3. Designate a driver in advance. It doesn't work to try and figure it out on the fly. The day was stressful - or it was fun and everybody wants to celebrate - nobody is willing to step up to be the designated. Switch it up - it's my turn this time - your turn next and don't deviate from the plan. I was always the worst at this - I never wanted to be designated and threw a tantrum when it was my turn. But somebody has to suck it up and not drink. I promise you that you can have fun sober - I've done myself for the last 3 years.
4. Get a cab. If you are in old town Scottsdale, cabs are buzzing around like "flies on poop" - there is no excuse to not hail one. No money isn't a valid excuse. You went out - you had the money for drinks. The cab can take you through an ATM to get cash. Trust me, it is cheaper to pay for a cab than pay for a DUI.
5. Get a limo or party bus. Of course I was going to say this right? We have a limo company. And we don't always understand why a group of friends can't seem to scrape together $17-25 a person to get a limo or party bus. It actually saves you money to get a limo or party bus because you can drink on-board and get VIP access into clubs!
There really is no excuse to get a DUI - but thousands and thousands of people did this last Labor Day weekend. Hopefully you can try and use one of these tips and it can save your life or the lives of others!
July 17, 2009 marked the 25th anniversary of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act to the age of 21. It's obviously not working. How many of you out there waited until you were 21 to take your first drink? You can go to war, vote, drive a car - but you cannot drink. Many, many feel that that this law is not work. That if the age requirement was lowered that this would give people a chance to get educated - just like driver's education - drinking education.
Choose Responsibly is putting the issue out there and pushing for a change in the laws - here are some arguements from their website:
What are the arguments for the 21 year-old drinking age?
- It saves lives by preventing alcohol-related traffic fatalities for 18-20 year olds and the rest of the population
- Since the developing adolescent brain is affected differently by alcohol than the adult brain, the 21 year-old drinking age protects adolescents and young adults from the its potentially negative consequences
- The earlier one starts to drink, the more likely he or she will experience alcohol dependence and related problems later in life.
What are the arguments against the 21 year-old drinking age?
- Any benefits of the 21 year-old drinking age have come to be more than offset by unintended and largely negative consequences.
- The 21 year-old drinking age is an abridgement of the age of majority.
- The 21 year-old drinking age marginalizes the role of parents in the process of teaching and encouraging responsible decisions about alcohol use.
- Under the 21 year-old drinking age, fewer young people are drinking, but those who do choose to are drinking more. This alarming rise in the rates of binge drinking on campuses and in communities around the nation has caused a major, national public health problem.
- The 21 year-old drinking age breeds disrespect for law and ethical compromises.
What do you think? Do you feel that law should be changed or left the same?
