Legislative bodies throughout the country, intimidated by certain well intentioned but misguided lobbying groups, continue each year to enhance the penalties for driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They forget that: "Ok, we get it already"!! Harsher penalties are not going to change public attitudes about drinking and driving. The point has been made. The public is well aware of the danger and the risk of drinking and driving. In fact, some studies show that the sense of the public has been deadened by the constant increase in the penalties. It's kind of like punishing a child - after you have grounded him or her for month after month, what else can you threaten them with, and they start to ignore you. That's what is happening in our society today.

But what is more alarming is that unsuspecting citizens in our society are being arrested, charged, and sometimes convicted using evidence that is false and fraudulent! The science supporting breath testing devices across the county is equivalent to adding two plus two and demanding that it produce an answer of five. No member of the scientific community would accept or promote the test results produced by breath testing instruments used in America today. But our citizens are forced to spend thousands of dollars defending false charges, paying fines for convictions, not to mention losing their liberty, due to charges based upon faulty test results.

Are legislative bodies concerned about this fraud? Absolutely not. In fact, in Ohio, they revel in the fact that juries will never be told of the defects in these machines due to an Ohio Supreme Court decision(State v. Vega)which mandates withholding such evidence from juries.

Citizens of our great country need to rise up and tell legislative bodies and courts as well that they understand the seriousness of these offenses but will not stand for innocent drivers being convicted using machines that don't work.

»