Agonotheta

Wrong Place, Right Time

March 22, 2005

One night last weeknight (St. Patty's) after several hours of hanging out in bars, I attempted my 10-minute drive home. Oh wait, that sounds really bad. Sure, I had been in one bar or another for about 6 hours, but I hadn't had a drink in the last three or so. The second bar I went to was actually Brewvies, so I was watching a movie, not drinking.

As I got a couple of blocks away, I realized I couldn't make a left turn on the street I was on. So I made a right and continued down the street and made a U-turn. Within seconds of making the U-turn, I saw red and blue lights in my rear-view mirror.

It was obvious he was simply pulling me over because I grabbed his attention. As he approached my window I presented my license and registration. He simply took them and asked if I'd been drinking. I replied honestly with a yes, but that it had been a few hours since I'd had a drink. It was almost as if he didn't hear me.

"Can you step out of your vehicle?" he barked.

I complied with this request and every other for the next half hour. Luckily while I stood in the cold rain I had many activities with which to keep warm. I walked a straight line, one foot in front of another, I balanced on one foot and said the alphabet, and wriggled and writhed attempting to coerce him into letting me go.

After the above roadside olympics, he concluded that he was 93% sure I was intoxicated. For final proof, although he admitted it wasn't admissible in court, I blew into a "breathalyzer," where I blew a .059. The legal limit in Utah, and most states as far as I know is .08. At that, he gave me a quick lecture on driving after drinking and sent me on my way.

I was pretty much frazzled and agitated for the rest of the evening. I didn't sleep well that night thinking how closely I had come to getting a DUI. The following day, I was a wreck. Completely tired and in a bad mood.

Sure, I was upset because I felt he pulled me over for no reason at all, but I was also pretty pissed because I felt completely and totally fine at the time. I'm going to be completely honest and tell you that I've driven a couple of times where I knew I probably shouldn't have. At these times I was never out of control, I was never swerving wildly all over the road the way the drunks on Cops do. But I'm positive my reaction time was pretty slow. But this time, I honestly couldn't even "feel" the alcohol.

This whole experience has made me realize that what I think is "ok" is probably not legally "ok." I honestly doubt I'll ever drive after having more than one drink. I knew a DUI was really bad, but I was not aware until after just how bad it is. First, the ticket is $1500 along with a night's stay in jail. Second, you have to pay to have your car towed and then to get it out of tow. Third, there is therapy and counseling that has to be done. Finally, your car insurance sky rockets. On my car it would probably be something like $1000 a month or so. I'd have to get rid of it because I couldn't afford to have it insured. By the time everything is said and done, I've heard it is as bad as $10,000-15,000.

Wow.

How stupid do I feel? Pretty stupid.

So needless to say, I'm going to end up paying for a lot of taxi rides from this point on. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than a DUI.