Have a Great 4th of July Weekend!

MCPON put out an outstanding public service announcement for this weekend.  Check it out:



I couldn't agree more.  Like I told my crew every Friday at quarters on the pier - don't allow yourself to end up in a position where YOU have decide if YOU are "sober-enough" to drive home after YOU've already been drinking.  Drinking impairs your judgment and you're likely to make a bad-call in the interest of convenience. 

Follow MCPON's advice and HAVE A PLAN how you are getting home BEFORE you go out.

That being said, I have also frequently told my crew that I know sometimes plans go awry.  You had a designated driver and next thing you know, you look across the bar and there is your "designated driver" putting down shots of tequila. 

That's okay.  Not your fault.  There are other SAFE alternatives available to you such as calling a taxi cab or a friend.  I think there are a lot of people like me around who would rather you called at 1 a.m. in need of a safe ride home than have to attend your funeral because you didn't call / didn't want to wake me up at 1 a.m.

Along the same lines, here in the DC area, there is a safe ride home program.  From 10 p.m. Sunday July 4 until 6 a.m. on Monday July 5, call the SoberRide program at 1-800-200-TAXI to get a free ride home (up to a $50 fare).  If you aren't in the DC area, then google it for your home town.  Take the number with you JUST IN CASE.

 Have an awesome 4th of July holiday weekend everyone!

Breathalyzers

Interesting article here. Overall, I think it's a step in the right direction to put breathalyzers on the ignition switches for convicted DUI offenders.

Two thoughts on this article and the legislation being considered.

1. The Post tried to follow the journalistic principle of presenting both sides of the argument, so they went out and found somebody who was against the proposal. The dude they chose to interview for the "con" side of this is clearly an idiot. He should be forced to attend every funeral of someone killed by a drunk driver in Maryland and Virginia for the next year at a minimum. His counter argument is basically, "But if they have a breathalyzer on their ignition switch in their car, then they're probably not going to have a second drink with dinner and it'll hurt the alcoholic beverage industry."

Dude.

That's. The. Whole. Friggin. Point.

I don't WANT them having a second drink if they're going to be driving, and neither should you.

2. That being said, I think the proposed legislation misses the mark. As I wrote above, it's a step in the right direction, but after further contemplation, I think it's actually ineffective. The problem is this: Having a breathalyzer on the ignition switch of the convicted offender's car doesn't stop him* from getting in somebody ELSE's car and driving off and killing somebody.

To make such a policy effective, they would really need to install breathalyzers on ALL car ignition switches.

I'm all for it.

As any of my previous crewmembers will tell you, I always talked to the crew at quarters on the pier about making your plan for how you'll get home BEFORE you start drinking, and make sure that plan involves you not having ANY access to operate a motor vehicle.

The reason is simple.

Alcohol impairs your judgment.

After you've started consuming alcohol, then you are no longer in a position to judge if you're okay to drive. During my department head tour, we had a string of several DUIs in a row where guys claimed, "but I just had one beer with dinner. I felt fine!"

Don't assume you'll just find a ride with somebody. When it comes around to closing time and you want to go home, you'll look around the bar, see nobody to give you a ride, and say to yourself, "Self, I feel fine. I didn't have that much to drink. It'll be okay."

That's why I always told my crew at quarters to make sure their plan involved them not even having the option of getting behind the wheel of a car. Give the keys to someone else before you start drinking.

Sorry, that was an unintended tangent. Getting back to the point. IF we were to put breathalyzers on ALL car ignition switches, then I am certain it would dramatically reduce the rate of DUIs, because all those people who think they didn't have that much to drink won't be able to start their car.

I wonder how hard companies like Anheuser-Busch would fight such legislation to protect their revenues?

* Disclaimer: I'm not trying to be sexist here. From reading the Navy UNIT SITREPs on the Navy Ops Center website in the mornings, I'd guestimate that about 99% of DUIs (at least for Navy personnel) are men.

Not-just-Pentagon Gouge: Safe Ride Home

I know I normally do my Pentagon Gouge posts on Mondays, but this is something important to get out sooner rather than later, especially on a weekend during the holiday season. Heads-Up: There are some important phone numbers at the bottom of this post for a FREE safe ride home in the DC area.

As you all go off to your boat or office holiday parties, Army-Navy Game festivities and whatnot, please plan ahead how you will get home safely if you plan to have anything to drink.

Remember that alcohol affects your judgment, so it's not good enough to wait until after you've had a few drinks to "plan" your way home. That's when you find yourself saying, "Oh, I only had a couple, I'll be fiiiiiine." Tweeeeeeet! Flag on the play! Unnecessary Poor Judgment.

Make a plan in advance, before you leave the house or have anything to drink. I think the best plan involves a responsible friend who isn't drinking and agrees to make sure you get home safely afterwards.

As I frequently told my crews on my previous boats at quarters on the pier, I understand that plans go awry. Petty Officer Schmuck said he'd be your designated driver. Next thing you know, you look across the club and see Petty Officer Schmuck doing tequila shots with some girl at the bar. I always told my crew that I would rather they called ME for a safe ride home than have to watch you stand at the green table, or worse - have to identify your body in the morgue after you wrap your car around a tree.

Morbid? Yes.

Necessary to drive the point home? Yes.

The majority of Captain's Mast cases I've attended for DUIs have been guys who "just had one or two" and thought they were fine to drive home. Again - the alcohol impaired their judgment of how much they had to drink and whether or not they were safe to drive.

I'm sure any member of your crew, your chief, your divo, your department head, or even your XO or CO would rather come get you if you've been drinking rather than have to call your family and tell them you're dead or you're in jail, not to mention the fact your shipmate just got bagged with standing your next duty day and can't stay in port for that school he needed because he's gotta be on the underway watchbill now.

If you're in the DC area and find yourself in a spot where you've been drinking and you need a ride home, then please call the SoberRide program. Program these numbers into your cell NOW before you go out.

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) 2009 Holiday SoberRide program will be offered from 2200 to 0600 each night, beginning Friday, 11 December 2009 and ending at 0600, Friday, 1 January 2010. To receive a free cab ride home (up to a $50.00 fare), please call 800-200-8294 (TAXI) or #8294 (TAXI) on your AT&T wireless phone. You must be 21 years of age or older to use the SoberRide service.

http://www.wrap.org/soberride/

If any of you in other homeports have information on local safe ride programs and would like me to add them to this blog post, then please leave a comment or send me an email.

I hope you all have a SAFE and happy holiday season. Merry Christmas!