As you settle in to the college year, chances are that you will attend some great parties. When you attend an event some distance away, you might decide to take your car. If you do, you need to have enough self-control not to drink, which can be tricky if people are continually offering you alcohol.
If you have a personal breathalyzer, you may think you can have one or two drinks and then check to make sure you are okay to drive. The problem is, they are not entirely reliable. If the police stop you and you fail their tests, they will not care that your device said you were under the limit.
If you use your breathalyzer test, it may read negative if you have recently finished a drink. Yet, half an hour down the road, when the police stop you, that alcohol in the last drink may have worked its way into your bloodstream, pushing you over the limit. Breathalyzers can also malfunction, and if you have not had them calibrated recently, they could give a false reading.
Of course, as a college student, you may not legally be old enough to drink, whether you are driving or not. If you are under 21, you are subject to a lower blood alcohol limit of 0.02% rather than 0.08%. Even one drink could result in problems.
Even if you pass a police alcohol test and escape a charge of driving under the influence (DUI), you could still face a charge of driving while ability impaired (DWAI). The safest option is not to drink and drive. Seek legal advice if you have been charged with drunk driving in Fort Collins. Being convicted could have severe implications for the rest of your life.