Artifact Two

Maryland-DWI.com: Field Sobriety Tests. Jimeno and Gray. 2005. 12 Dec. 2006. http://www.maryland-dwi.com/field_sobriety_tests/index.html.

This website contains the process of testing for drunk drivers. They are used to "divide the driver’s attention from their physical abilities" (1).

There are three tests that are commonly used.

"Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus: Nystagmus is the involuntary jerking of the eyes caused by alcohol – and thirty (30) or so other influences, like smoke or fumes. Officers test each eye in a variety of ways to check for this abnormal eye movement, which is used to show the presence of alcohol in your system.

Walk and Turn: The officer will instruct the driver to stand in an instructional position, place one foot in front of another, and listen to the instructions. The officer will then have the driver walk heel to toe nine steps in one direction, complete a specific pivot turn, and walk nine steps back. Among the observations the police officer makes is whether the driver makes heel to toe contact, keeps his or her feet on the line and takes a correct number of steps.

One Leg Stand: During the one leg stand test, the officer will instruct the driver to stand on one leg while lifting the other off the ground and count out loud. The officer watches for a number of 'clues', including whether the driver is using arms for balance, swaying, counting correctly or starting the test prior to being instructed to do so" (1).

1. Are there any more tests that are used by the police?
2. What happens if the driver fails the test?
3. What happens if the driver passes the test?

Artifact One

YAERD.org: Drinking and Driving Facts. 2005. 7 Dec. 2006. http://www.yaerd.org/drinkinganddrivingfacts.htm.

I read this article and found some useful information. My question about age discrimination is answered below.

"Q. ARE LICENSE PENALTIES THE SAME FOR ALL AGE GROUPS?
A. No. If you are under 21 when convicted of DWI or DWAI, your license will be revoked for at least one year. If you are found to have refused to take a chemical test, even if you are not convicted of DWI or DWAI, your license will be revoked for one year. If you commit a second such offense while you are under 21, your license will be revoked for at least one year or until you are 21, whichever is longer. In both cases, if you are enrolled in the Drinking Driver Program (DDP) and have received a conditional license, you will remain in conditional license status for the full period of revocation. In addition to the sanctions under these laws, if found guilty of using a New York State Driver License or Non-Driver Identification Card as proof of age to illegally purchase alcoholic beverages, your driver license or privilege of applying for a license, will be suspended" (1).

1. Is this the case only in New York?
2. What exactly is the Drinking Driver Program?

What I Know and Want to Know

I know that when you drink and drive, a lot of things can happen. If you're lucky, you get home without getting in any sort of confrontation. If you're even luckier, you get stopped by a cop to set yourself straight. But if you're not-so-lucky, you may total your car. But even worse, you may kill someone or yourself, even worse than that, you may kill someone and have to live with it. Current standards for drinking and driving are strict. In the state of Maryland, if you get caught with a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) of .02 or more, you're in a world of trouble. The police can do all sorts of things like sobriety tests (walk on the line on the side of the road, say the ABC's backwards), or they could take you to the station and whip out the breathalyzer. When you register for a license, you sign a form that guarantees a breathalyzer, but you may choose to go to the police station to take it. One thing that I learned in driver's ed. is that the worst way to learn about drinking and driving is by experiencing it, so don't do it.
There are a couple of things that I would like to know about the rules of enforcing drinking and driving.
I know about Maryland's standards, but are there any different standards in other states? I would also like to know how these standards are received by drivers, are they too loose or strict? What about the political status of this issue? Are people trying to change regulations? Are there any social issues within this? Are people treated differently because of their race, sex, or age? What age group of people break these laws more often? Are the punishments of this crime different with the severity of the act? Drinking and Driving is an extreme crime, but the influence of it on America is even more extreme.