Friendship can be a beautiful thing, from sharing special memories to celebrating the successful milestones of life. Friends are there for us when we’re at our best and at our worst, and our lives would not be the same without their help, support and laughter. If you are lucky enough to have a friendship like that, you would probably go to extreme measures to help your friend. But, would that include blowing into their car breathalyzer?
A car breathalyzer isn’t a joke, it is a piece of technology that is required by many states for a person who has been convicted of drunk driving. A car breathalyzer keeps a convicted drunk driving offender from repeating the same mistake that required the device in the first place. Obviously, if someone asks you to blow into their car breathalyzer, there is a reason he or she cannot do it: they’re over the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for the device and should not be driving.
Anyone with the requirement can face further consequences for “circumventing” the device, even by having someone else blow into it. Plus, the devices are programmed to require breath tests while the vehicle in motion, so even if you help start your friend’s car by submitting your own breath sample, he or she will have regular tests for the duration of the drive. There are also some car breathalyzers that have video capability, and your face could be recorded taking the test.
That means that not only are you helping your friend to potentially drive while intoxicated; you could be committing a crime, yourself.
Being a good friend sometimes means you have to be willing to be the bad guy, by refusing to blow into a car breathalyzer or otherwise not allowing your friend to drive while intoxicated. The danger of driving while intoxicated is real, and you can be a hero to your friend and others on the road. If you’re asked to blow into your friend’s car breathalyzer, take it a step further and just drive him or her home.
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