Dwi Phones

A new cell phone will let users know if they have had too much to drink, but it will be up to users to determine whether it can prevent them from dialing while intoxicated.

LG Electronics has been showing off new feature-rich cell phones consumer electronics and communications trade shows this year, and one of the upcoming models has a breathalyzer.

A sports car 410 series phone looks like a European sports car and incorporates a sensor to measure blood alcohol content, according to an LG announcement from a recent Singapore trade show.

The breathalyzer phone, designed with the help of an Italian sports car company, features engine sounds, video recording and playback and MP3 functions. The sports car model may remind people not to get behind the wheel, but the company made no mention of features to overcome stubbornness.

The new LP 4100 cell phone does issue a warning that shows a weaving car hitting cones, according to an ABC report from an annual consumer electronics trade show. Users can program the phone to prohibit drunk dialing specific numbers on their contact lists at certain times, according to the report.

The company also unveiled a 3D game phone, a camera phone, a music phone and a slide phone with a two-layer display.

The question is could this actually help control the choices that other people make before drinking and driving

Drunk driving is the act of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired. It is illegal in all jurisdictions within the U.S. The specific criminal offense is usually called driving under the influence [of alcohol and/or other drugs] (DUI), and in some states driving while intoxicated (DWI), operating while impaired (OWI), or operating a vehicle under the influence (OVI). Such laws may also apply to boating or piloting aircraft.

In the United States the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 17,013 people died in 2003 in "alcohol-related" collisions, representing 40 percent of total traffic deaths in the US. Over 500,000 people were injured in alcohol-related accidents in the US in 2003. NHTSA defines fatal collisions as “alcohol-related” if they believe the driver, a passenger, or a nonoccupant of the vehicle (such as a pedestrian or pedalcyclist) had a BAC of 0.01 or greater. NHTSA defines nonfatal collisions as “alcohol-related” if the accident report indicates evidence of alcohol present. NHTSA specifically notes that “alcohol-related” does not necessarily mean a driver or nonoccupant was tested for alcohol and that the term does not indicate a collision or fatality was caused by the presence of alcohol.[1] On average, about 60 percent of the BAC values are missing or unknown. To analyze what they believe is the complete data, statisticians simulate BAC information.

History of drunk driving laws

The first jurisdiction in the United States of America to adopt laws against drunk driving was New York in 1910, with California and others following. Early laws simply prohibited driving while intoxicated, with no specific definition of what level of inebriation qualified. The first generally-accepted legal limit for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.15 (in 1938, the American Medical Association created a "Committee to Study Problems of Motor Vehicle Accidents"; at the same time, the National Safety Council set up a "Committee on Tests for Intoxication". After some study, these two groups came up with their findings: a driver with 0.15 BAC or higher could be presumed to be intoxicated; those under 0.15 could not).

In the US, most of the laws and penalties were greatly enhanced starting in the late 1970s, and through the 1990s, largely due to pressure from groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) and leaders like Candy Lightner. These organizations вЂ" MADD in particular вЂ" are also widely cited for getting the drinking age raised to 21 in those states where it had once been lower. Also during this era, enforcement of drunk driving laws became a priority for police for the first time.

In some areas of the country, including New York City, it's part of police procedure to impound cars of arrested drunk drivers. The offenders forfeit the cars permanently if they are convicted.

Probable cause to stop

There are usually four situations in which the officer will come into contact with a driver.

• The driver has been involved in an automobile accident; the officer has responded to the scene and is conducting an investigation.

• The driver has been stopped at a sobriety checkpoint (also known as roadblocks).

• The police have received a report, possibly from an anonymous citizen, that a described car has been driving erratically. The officer should verify the erratic driving before pulling the driver over. In some cases, the driver will no longer be in the vehicle.

• The officer on patrol has observed erratic or otherwise suspicious driving. This is by far the most common reason for stopping a suspect.

The following list of DUI symptoms, from a publication issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (DOT HS-805-711), is widely used in training officers to detect drunk drivers. After each symptom is a percentage figure which, according to NHTSA, indicates the chances that a driver is over the legal limit.

• Turning with wide radius 65

• Straddling center or lane marker 65

• Appearing to be drunk 60

• Almost striking object or vehicle 60

• Weaving 60

• Driving on other than designated roadway 55

• Swerving 55

• Slow speed (more than 10mph below limit) 50

• Stopping (without cause) in traffic lane 50

• Drifting 50

• Following too closely 45

• Tires on center or land marker 45

• Braking