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Health & Fitness

I've Reached My Limit

A recent article in the local paper talked about a Federal proposal that seeks to lower the blood-alcohol legal limit in drivers from .08 to .05. I understand that you can’t enforce something unless you can measure it but let’s be serious for a moment since drunk driving has the potential to be a serious problem. O.K., the moments over. Thank goodness, that moment seemed to last forever.

The claim that lowering the limit will decrease fatalities from car accidents is the equivalent of stopping gun violence by having law abiding citizens register their guns. What we should do is pad the exteriors of cars and only make softer bullets. I’ll give you that a car is a more dangerous weapon than a gun. That’s what my father beat into my head every time I left the house and got in my car from the time I was 16.  A large percentage of car accidents involving alcohol also involve teenagers.

Why don’t we do what the insurance companies have known was correct for years and increase the legal driving age to 25. Heck, at this point most people under the age of 25 can’t afford a car, insurance or gas anyway. Then we can take our cue from other countries and lower the legal drinking age to 18. That would increase revenue in bars, restaurants and liquor stores. 

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Then we can mandate automakers to make ignition interlock systems, or “blow tubes” mandatory on every new car and a requirement for every inspection. This will add to our manufacturing base and create new jobs. We may want to consider bringing our public transit infrastructure out of the mid-20th century and into the new millennium. We should be investing in high speed rail and a more robust mass transit system with twenty-four hour service within fifteen miles of all major cities.

While we are at it, why doesn’t my smart phone have an app where I can blow into the speaker and have it tell me what my blood-alcohol level is? For that matter why isn’t there an app where after it tells me I’ve had too much to drink it won’t allow me to send drunk emails, drunk texts, or drunk posts and pictures to social media? The difference between a blood-alcohol level of .08 and .05 is like telling me 27 pieces of rice make up a serving. I’ll have to take your word for it. I’m never going to try to figure it out myself. 

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- You can find more senseless ramblings from Erik @ http://www.yourfamilyshouldhaveashow.com/

 

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