Monthly Archives - May 2014

This could be the end result of you not taking your friend’s car keys.

Drunk driving has a very strict legal definition in Los Angeles: having a 0.08 percent blood alcohol content. That’s a great legal definition, but unless you have your own Breathalyzer (they sell for about $50), it can be hard to determine if your friends are too drunk to drive. But there are some major factors that you can look for, including:

• Slurred speech
• Inability to balance
• Slowed reaction time

These three things are relatively easy to spot. If you have a friend who is displaying any of these symptoms, immediately take their car keys and find a safe way to get them home. This could consist of calling a cab or appointing a designated driver (this works best when done before the drinking starts).

What if your friend has been drinking but isn’t obviously too drunk to drive? Here are some things you can do to determine if you should still take away the keys.

• Take your friend into a quiet room and have a short conversation. If they talk at an inappropriate speed or volume (usually faster and louder than normal), then there is a good chance that they are too drunk to drive.
• In the same room, ask what the previous conversation the two of you had was about. If they can’t recall, this could be a sign of too much drinking. An impaired short-term memory indicates an inability to concentrate, another sign of inebriation.
• Consider doing your own field sobriety test. Have them recite the alphabet, touch their nose with their finger, and walk a straight line. Failing any of these tests could mean that your friend isn’t ready to drive.

With the rapid advancements in smartphone technology, there are even apps that can help you decide if someone is drunk or not. Keep in mind that even if your friend passes the tests in these apps, that doesn’t mean they are not drunk. These are simply tools that can help you determine if they are showing signs that typically occur in drunk individuals. In no way do these apps indicate that it is legal for your friend to drive.

• If you have an iPhone, there is an app called Back Track that monitors the horizontal gaze nystagmus (basically a tremor in the eye that is caused by drinking alcohol). If the app picks up this movement, your friend is probably too drunk to drive. However, there are some medical conditions that can cause false positives, so even though it is a great tool (especially at $1.99), it is not a conclusive test.
• Android phones also have apps that can be used to help determine sobriety. DUI kNOw is a free app that analyzes speech patterns to determine if you are drunk. There are several random texts to read and a backward counting test.
• Perhaps the best way to determine if your friend should drive is to play a driving simulator on your phone or tablet. There are hundreds to choose from, and you probably already have one installed. Actually, any game that requires a quick reaction time will work. Watching the reaction time your friend has playing the game can give you a good indication of how slow the visual-to-action process actually is. If your friend is usually really good at a particular game but now can’t get past the first level, it’s time to take those keys.

To make this extremely clear, if your guests or friends have been drinking, it is better if they don’t drive. Even a small amount of alcohol can affect decision-making. None of the advice here is considered legal advice – it is just meant as a bit of help to keep your friends safe.

By Ted Burgess
Google

Sailors pass the time playing dominoes. Good thing it’s not on a Sunday in Alabama!

If you think that laws are always in effect 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, you’re going to be shocked. There are various laws throughout the country that prohibit certain activities on particular days of the week or on holidays in particular. The most common day that this happens – Sunday. Why Sunday? Most of these laws were created when religious values – Puritan values in particular – were in place. These laws were meant to help people stay true to biblical teachings. These laws have come to be known as “blue laws” and are still on the books in many states.

One of the few places where blue laws are still enforced is in Bergen County, New Jersey. Even though it is one of the most popular commercial shopping destinations in the New York metropolitan area, almost all the retail stores are forbidden from opening on Sundays. The city of Paramus has even stricter laws than the county itself. Paramus bans all forms of “worldly employment” on Sundays, including white-collar workers in office buildings.

One law that is commonly found around the country is a ban on alcohol sales before noon on Sundays. The pretense for this was to prevent parishioners from showing up to church under the influence.

Now for the part that is going to leave you scratching your head. Here is a list of quirky laws from around the U.S. that only take effect on Sundays.

• If you want to purchase a mattress in the state of Washington, don’t try to do it on Sunday. Mattress sales are strictly prohibited on that day.
• Heading to Arizona for vacation? Keep your camera in your backpack until after noon on Sunday. Picture taking is illegal before then.
• Have a hankering for a bologna sandwich in Tennessee? Hope you have some in your refrigerator. You can’t buy bologna in Tennessee on Sunday.
• How about a game of dominoes? Not in Alabama on a Sunday. Playing dominoes is illegal that day.
• Taking a trip to St. Cloud, Minnesota could leave you with a craving for hamburgers, but you can’t legally eat one in the city on a Sunday.
• Is South Carolina against having a good time? On Sunday, they seem to be. It’s illegal to sell musical instruments on Sundays!

Some laws are so perplexing that it’s a wonder how they got passed in the first place. For instance:

• In Massachusetts, it is illegal to go to bed without bathing. But, there is a law that specifically prohibits bathing on Sundays. So, I guess you are out of luck if you want to go to bed on Sunday!
• If you want to brush your teeth on Sunday but don’t have the right equipment, you better bring a friend with you to purchase it when in Providence, Rhode Island. A strange law there makes it illegal to sell toothpaste and a toothbrush to the same customer on a Sunday.
• It is illegal to fish for a whale on Sunday in Ohio. No, really.

If you happen to be a woman, some states have laws that target you specifically.

• If you want to parachute on Sunday in Florida, you better be married. Unmarried women who parachute can be arrested and jailed.
• In Montana, if you are married, it’s illegal to go fishing alone on Sunday.
• South Carolina is worse. It’s still legal to beat your wife on a Sunday morning as long as it is done on the steps of the State House.

Are you a car salesman? Check out these laws directed at you.

• In Colorado and New Jersey, car sales are prohibited on Sunday.
• In Maine, the law is a bit more lax. You can sell a car as long as it is equipped with onboard plumbing!

There are hundreds of laws like this on the books. Fortunately, they are rarely (if ever) enforced. However, this just goes to show you how crazy laws can be.

By Ted Burgess
Google