Peirspictiochtai Ar An Saol
Zero-Based Law Enforcement
Part Fourteen
Driving under the influence – whether that be because of using alcohol products, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and/or any other substance that impair judgement, reaction times, and other aspects that impact driving a motor vehicle or other vehicles – is a criminal act that some people consider to be a form of Russian roulette.
This, in the sense that individuals driving under the influence are similar to individuals holding a loaded gun: There may be only one bullet in the chamber, and the odds may indicate that it is more likely that that bullet will not be fired compared to that bullet being fired. As the trigger is pulled time after time, though, the odds increase that that bullet will be fired.
A person driving a motor vehicle drunk for the first time, for example, may be able to travel from point "A" to point "B" without any difficulty: They may not get into a traffic accident; they may not be stopped by a law enforcement officer. The individual may know that it is wrong – and illegal – to drive drunk, but that same individual may also believe it is unlikely they will get into an accident or be caught driving drunk by law enforcement.
The problem with that thought pattern is that it can be true until it is not true.
By that point, individuals may be facing arrests, fines, loss of driving privileges, loss of motor vehicles, potential imprisonment, and/or possible loss of employment as the results of that thought pattern.
Even more impactful, by that point, deaths, injuries, and/or property damage may also be the results of that thought pattern.
Strategies to decrease driving under the influence include actions that law enforcement officers could take through Zero-Based Law Enforcement.
These strategies could be ones not simply reacting to individuals driving drunk, but instead could focus on ways to stop people from driving a motor vehicle while under the influence in the first place.
These strategies could include law enforcement officers working alongside other regulatory bodies beyond law enforcement entities.
These strategies could be done in addition to actions that already are utilized in many communities in the United States: Traffic stops to determine if people are driving drunk. Law enforcement officers following motor vehicles that appear to be weaving over traffic lines, following motor vehicles going slower than traffic patterns and speed limits, and following motor vehicles going faster than traffic patterns and speed limits. Court-ordered use of ignition interlock devices.
Through Zero-Based Law Enforcement, each establishment that sells alcohol products to be consumed on its premises could be required to have a section within the establishment where no alcohol products are offered and where no alcohol products can be consumed. Instead, water, coffee, soft drinks, and other similar beverages could be offered for sale in that section of each establishment.
Each establishment that sells alcohol products to be consumed on its premises could also be required to offer a breathalyzer test to each potential customer prior to them entering the premises. Those who refuse a breathalyzer test could be denied entry to the establishment.
An individual who takes a breathalyzer test that indicates a blood alcohol content above a certain level could be denied entry to the section of the establishment where alcohol products are consumed and, instead, could be offered entry to a section of the establishment where water, coffee, soft drinks, and other similar beverages are offered for sale. If an individual declines that offer, the individual could be denied entry to the establishment.
Law enforcement entities could be alerted that an individual has been denied entry if a breathalyzer test indicated a blood alcohol content above a certain level.
Each individual who takes a breathalyzer test that indicates a blood alcohol content below a certain level could be required to deposit the key(s) to their motor vehicle as well as their driver's license in a lockbox-type device. If an individual declines to deposit the key(s) to their motor vehicle as well as their driver's license in a lockbox-type device, the individual could be denied entry to the establishment.
Much as individuals entering an establishment that sells alcohol products to be consumed on their premises, each individual leaving these types of establishments could be required to take a breathalyzer test prior to leaving the premises. An individual who refuses a breathalyzer test as well as an individual who takes a breathalyzer test that indicates a blood alcohol content above a certain level could be asked to go to the section of the establishment where no alcohol products are sold and no alcohol products can be consumed. For the individuals in these circumstances who refuse to go to that section of the establishment, they would be asked to step aside while law enforcement entities are alerted about the situation.
The key(s) to the individual's motor vehicle and the individual's driver's license would be provided to the law enforcement officer who is dispatched to the establishment. That law enforcement officer could then review options available to the individual. The individual could have someone as a designated driver – someone who has taken the breathalyzer test and whose results indicated a blood alcohol content below a certain level – agree to drive them home. The law enforcement officer could then hand the key(s) to the motor vehicle and the driver's license for the individual to the designated driver.
If the individual declines that option or does not have someone who could serve as a designated driver, the law enforcement officer could detail the other possibilities given the circumstances. In particular, that the individual could potentially be arrested for public intoxication if they leave the establishment in their current condition or that the individual could potentially be arrested for driving under the influence if they get into their motor vehicle, even if they are not actually driving.
As an alternative, the law enforcement officer could encourage each specific individual in these circumstances to go to the section of the establishment until they have a blood alcohol content below a certain level.
If an individual in these circumstances continues to refuse to go to the section of the establishments where no alcohol products are sold and no alcohol products can be consumed, the law enforcement officer could decide to detain the individual on suspicion of public intoxication and proceed accordingly.
To assist these establishments with the additional costs that could be anticipated, the establishments could be explicitly allowed, if not already the case, to charge an admission fee to enter the establishments.
No fee could be charged to enter the section of these establishments that offer water, coffee, soft drinks, and other similar beverages for sale.
The sections of these establishments where no alcohol products are sold or consumed could be allowed to remain open for a longer period of time to accommodate customers who had already entered the establishments prior to regulated closing times.
Law enforcement officers could verify that these types of establishments do not sell alcohol products after regulated times for sales and consumption of alcohol products.
Beyond establishments that sell alcohol products to be consumed on their premises, establishments that sell alcohol products to be consumed off of their premises could also be part of the strategies of Zero-Based Law Enforcement.
Law enforcement officers could verify that these types of establishments physically block or lock all alcohol products at the regulated times and do not sell alcohol products to any customers after the regulated times.
These strategies could be utilized in other situations that involve driving under the influence, including operating boats in the water and other types of vehicles operating in other circumstances.
Zero-Based Law Enforcement calls for the inclusion of proactive steps to enhance safety on roadways, waterways, and elsewhere where motor vehicles are in use.
The next news column in this series will focus on how law enforcement officers could choose, when arresting individuals for alleged criminal acts, to arrest each individual for the main crime allegedly committed rather than arresting each individual for the main crime allegedly committed as well as additional multiple crimes through Zero-Based Law Enforcement.
Peirspictiochtai Ar A Saol – Gaelic – Irish – for "Perspectives On Life" is a column focused on aspects of accountability and responsibility as well as ways people look at life.
Contact Richard McDonough at
© 2026 Richard McDonough
