Baseball Booze and Driving Create Tragic Situations
According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, October playoff baseball may bring out the worst in some fans. That is, Orange County officials are on high alert for individuals that choose to drink during baseball games, and then proceed to operate motor vehicles soon thereafter. The high alert comes on the heels of the death of Nick Adenhart, a promising young pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In April 2009, the 22-year-old Adenhart and two of his friends were killed by an alleged drunk driver less than ten miles from Angel Stadium of Anaheim, where Adenhart had pitched earlier that night. In order to cut down on unnecessary traffic, the Anaheim Police Department asked all motorists not attending the Angels’ playoff game with the New York Yankees to please steer clear of the area.
While consuming alcohol at a baseball game is permitted, it is never a good idea to driving while under the influence of alcohol. An individual accused of DUI is innocent until proven guilty, which is something that the media often forgets. That is, field sobriety tests are only as accurate as the law enforcement officials that are administering them. Furthermore, breathalyzers and other devices used to determine an individual’s blood alcohol concentration need to be properly calibrated and maintained in order to ensure that test results delivered by the devices are accurate. If procedure is not followed or such devices are defective, then an individual that would otherwise be deemed innocent of driving while under the influence could be accused and arrested by law enforcement for a crime that the individual never in fact committed.
