Alcohol affects different people in different ways and experts say hardcore alcoholics often have such built-up tolerance that they can hold more liquor than the average person. But most people lose consciousness once they hit a blood alcohol concentration of 0.30 percent (Q3 Innovations, citing several primary sources).
Just a drink or two shy of that, most people have trouble walking, suffer "total mental confusion" and probably are barfing.
So imagine driving through Chicago's streets at 3:30 a.m. with a BAC of 0.299 (Tribune), as 39-year-old Tomas Martinez allegedly did last week.
This was his fourth DUI charge (he has three convictions). Generally speaking, it seems to be a pattern that those with the highest BAC when pulled over for a DUI often are repeat offenders.
Also, he was driving on a revoked license.
Free rides for drunks is one highly lauded solution, although taxpayers may bristle at the thought of subsidizing someone's perceived lack of self control. Some bars offer free non-alcoholic drinks to designated drivers, but an alcoholic might not order a Shirley Temple just because it's free.
Illinois' Ignition Interlock Law (FindLaw), introduced last year, offers one solution. The alternative, of course, is to say you won't drive and accept the revocation of your license, and then simply take your chances behind the wheel.
The point is that repeat offenders may need treatment and/or more than a simple piece of paper telling them they can't drive.
- Illinois DUI Law Promotes Ignition Devices (FindLaw)
- Video: Chicago DUI Attorney on How to Fight a DUI Charge (YouTube)
- Repeat Offenders and Persistent Drinking Drivers in the U.S. (Drug Library)
- Chicago DUI Attorneys (FindLaw)
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