If you live in Massachusetts, it is reasonable to conclude that driving while under the influence may lead to a suspended license. If someone is injured or there is damage to property during this time, the chances of losing your license climbs even higher. But, what about the right to drink?
According to one CNN article, alcohol is the thread that binds assaults, accidents and death together. While many people drink socially and pose no threat to society, the connection between excessive drinking and dangerous behavior is often clear. When it comes to operating under the influence, a driver may not even need to be heavily drunk to pose a public safety threat.
As a result of this, many jurisdictions make it mandatory for repeat offenders of OUIs to abstain from alcohol. The trouble is that the body metabolizes alcohol so quickly that it is difficult to track whether or not a person consumes alcohol, even with regular testing.
Even so, states like South Dakota have tried out the idea of suspending the license to drink on more than 30,000 offenders who committed alcohol-related offenses. This drastic measure requires offenders to show up for testing twice per day. Some patients even wear sobriety bracelets that test their sweat for alcohol throughout the day. Believe it or not, most people show up for the test and there is a 99 percent pass rate.
Because of its success, experts have recommended employing this tactic in even more states to see if the results will follow. However, whether or not policies like this could ever truly take root in Massachusetts, causing you to lose your right to drink, remains to be seen.
