PASADENA, Calif.—On Friday, September 20, Pasadena police officers will be at bars and restaurants throughout the city educating the public on how important it is to “know your limit.” The program will run from 6-10 p.m. During this time, officers will invite volunteers to take a breathalyzer test to see if they can guess their blood alcohol content (BAC). Officers will also educate those drinking on the impact alcohol has on one's ability to drive and the consequences of a DUI.
The “Know Your Limit” program is intended to inform the public of how little it takes to reach the legal BAC limit, which is .08% in all states except Utah, where the BAC is .05%. A person’s height, weight, food intake, drug and/or medication use, and how much they drink over a time period are all factors that affect BAC. According to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, it takes two drinks by a 120-pound woman and four drinks by a 180-pound man consumed within one hour to reach the legal limit. View the blood alcohol percentage charts.
“We need people to understand the effects of alcohol so they can make smart decisions about how they get home after a night of drinking,” said Traffic Section Lieutenant Mark Goodman. “It only takes a few drinks to impair. That’s why it's so critical that people know when not to drive.”
In addition to the “Know Your Limit” program, Pasadena Police Department will have specially trained officers out on patrol looking for drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. This DUI saturation patrol will run from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
The average cost of a DUI arrest is approximately $13,500. This includes fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses, not to mention possible jail time.
Funding for this DUI operation and “Know Your Limit” program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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