Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and law enforcement agencies across the country have been trying for decades to find a way to reach potential drunk drivers and keep them from getting behind the wheel. While one might think that risk of getting a serious drunk driving car accident that could result in severe personal injury or death would be enough to deter someone, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
This is evident from the many commercials and campaigns we see. These anti-drunk driving campaigns are being generated based upon studies and the use of focus groups to determine what has the best chance of reaching potential drunk drivers. Based upon this extensive research, it seems that most people are more afraid of being arrested and having to pay for a criminal defense lawyer and also for court costs and fines. This is evident in the commercials with slogans such as “you just blew $10,000” accompanying imagery of someone blowing into a breath alcohol testing device, which people commonly refer to as a Breathalyzer. Continue reading