Recently in Understanding DUI / Research Category

There's a myth that drinking coffee or consuming other forms of caffeine will help sober somebody up. However, a report from Arizona State University states that this myth is not true and while a person may feel more alert after drinking a shot of espresso, the person's blood-alcohol level will remain unchanged with the caffeine.

According to ASU, a person's BAC level only diminishes at a set, slow pace as the liver metabolizes the alcohol that has been consumed. Taking a shower, exercising, or getting a burst of energy in an alternative way has no effect on how alcohol is metabolized, hence the best way to sober up is to simply wait.

Clerks at Safeway stores are going the extra mile and doing more than just checking a person's ID when the customer purchase's alcohol. The store now requires a customer to swipe their ID card on a credit card device and sign on the PIN pad after the ID is checked.

The Arizona Daily Star reports that these signatures are not required by state law, but can protect the store of legal trouble if there was ever an investigation. With this system, Safeway can prove that its clerks were diligent about checking IDs. If a store does not have records of a person's signature, the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control states that a judge can presume the clerk did not check for ID.

Did you know that August 5 is International Beer Day? Yesterday people around the world, including many Arizonians, celebrated and honored beer culture by drinking their favorite pints of brew.

ABC News reports that International Beer Day first came about in 2007 by a few people that hail from Santa Cruz, CA that simply just wanted to celebrate beer and the people that provide it. Carly's Bistro in Phoenix and Dos Gringos in Scottsdale were just a couple bars in the Valley that carried out celebrations of beer yesterday, as stated at http://internationalbeerday.com/.

If you're driving through Pima County this summer, you might want to be play it safe and avoid driving after consuming alcohol or designate a sober driver. This is good logic to have everywhere you go, but it's likely that law enforcers in Pima County will especially be cracking down on drunk drivers during these summer months.

Associated Press reports that the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety recently awarded the Pima County Sheriff's Department two grants for enforcement of laws against drunken driving and underage drinking. The Sheriff's Department stated that they plan to use $35,000 for a public awareness campaign on drunk driving, which will provide enforcement throughout unincorporated areas of Pima County.

Kombucha tea is an ancient drink that dates back thousands of years, but only recently has this type of tea become popular in the U.S. And with its increased popularity, Associated Press reports that regulators and retailers may soon be regulating kombucha tea as an alcoholic drink.

Why does this tea need to be regulated as an alcoholic beverage? Some bottles of kombucha contain more than 0.5 percent alcohol in the drink, which is the legal limit for a drink to be considered non-alcoholic. For this reason, some retail stores like Whole Foods have removed raw kombucha from their stores. The government has also been testing kombucha to determine if it should be labeled as an alcoholic drink like beer or wine.

A study found that one out of every five college students admitted to driving while drunk and another 40 percent of college students admitted that they have taken a ride from a drunk driver. The findings from the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland School of Public Health also showed that the tendency to drive while drunk increases once college students hit the age of 21.

HealthDay News reports that the study's participants included more than 1,250 students at a large mid-Atlantic university. Participants were interviewed once per year for four years to gauge alcohol-related traffic risk behavior.

A 2008 study by Allstate Insurance Company found that the Phoenix metro area was the 6th deadliest hotspot in the nation, amongst the country's 50 largest metro areas, for teen crashes. The study examined federal crash statistics and rate of fatal crashes involving teen drivers.

The top three deadliest hotspots for teen drivers were all Florida metros and included Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville (first to third respectively). Other top 10 deadly places for teenage drivers include Nashville, Kansas City, Birmingham, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Louisville.

DUI arrests among NFL football players and football fans have certainly stacked up within the past several years. USA Today reports that within one six-week span, from February to March, five pro football players were arrested for driving under the influence, including Joey Porter from the Arizona Cardinals. So now it looks like NFL officials are starting to take action by partnering with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Representatives from MADD will now be making presentations to rookies in the NFL about the dangers of drunk driving. Fans will also be encouraged to avoid driving under the influence through MADD's promotional messages that will run during football games and through encouragement of participation in MADD's community events.

What better way to teach high school students about the dangers of drunk driving than through an actual simulation of a DUI-related car accident? Throw this in with community officials and you've got a well crafted, educational event.

The students of Queen Creek High School recently got a little taste of reality when the town's fire department partnered with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to stage "Operation Prom." A Town of Queen Creek press release stated that "Operation Prom" was supposed to teach students about drunk driving accidents, just before their prom night.