“Pubs & bars should test exiting patrons with breathalyzers to prevent drunk driving”

I understand that bars and pubs are like any other establishment – they cater to a certain type of demand, and profit off the product / service / experience that they provide.

However, unlike most other establishments, it can be said that bars & pubs do have a bit of an association (and hence, some sort of responsibility) with the adverse impact that their patrons can have on society. I’m, of course, referring to the fact that some inebriated patrons that leave the premises can actually go on to drive, which can lead to drunk driving accidents that extract a terrible cost from everyone involved.

Keeping this in mind, I think there’s a great opportunity that pubs & bars have, which is to promote responsible drinking, and there’s quite a simple way to do so.

The idea is to have patrons deposit their car keys once they get in, and at the time they leave, patrons are made to undergo a breathalyzer test. Only those patrons that register a BAC (blood alcohol content) level below the legal permissible limits are handed back their keys. For the others, the establishment can offer driver services (in-house/freelance driver who will drive the patron’s car home with them) or a cab service (to drop the patrons home for the night, presuming they will come in themselves the next day to pick up their car).

I can understand some establishments might feel that having this sort of a paternalistic approach might affect their popularity as a watering hole, and there might just be some truth to it. However, I would also make the case that if breathalyzers are made accessible only at the exit (and not during drinking sessions), it might also lead to a weirdly interesting leaderboard of sorts amongst responsible drinkers, who will compare scores to figure which of them reached what level of inebriation whilst still standing on his feet. Over time, this will also give all drinkers a sense of how much alcohol affects their BAC, and will make them more responsible drinkers over the long term – because as we can all agree, as of now, everyone is flying blind when it comes to whether they are above/below the legal permissible limit for driving.

All in all, I believe the introduction of an exit-breathalyzer service like this will do more good than harm in the long run, and might actually usher in a sea change in the responsibility we show towards drinking in our social lives.

P.S. Permissible BAC levels for driving vary widely across countries – the limit in India is 0.03% whereas the US is between 0.05% and 0.08% (based on state). Numerous factors affect BAC readings across people – apart from the fact that every person absorbs and metabolizes alcohol in a unique way, factors that play into BAC include alcohol content of the liquor consumed, volume of liquor consumed, duration during which liquor was consumed, and whether or not the person has consumed food before/during drinking.