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Sometimes happen to read news regarding road safety and alcohol consumption. We discussed on earlier proposals, not that attractive and  acceptable, such as lowering blood alcohol level allowed when driving or the obligation for premises to hold the notorious alcohol-consumption schedule. The latter implicitly considered useless by the last proposal to oblige premises to provide alcohol-test devices to their customers. This bipartisan proposal will be assessed by Public Works Senate’s Committee. Decisions on that matter will be communicated on the first November week.

In detail the proposal aims to provide pubs and restaurants customers a tool to assess their alcoholemia and whether it is safe or not to drive. No indications on whether the purchase and installation of breathalyzers will weigh on managers or on public funds. That premises should cope with problems that should be resolved by politics is quite aberrant, and typically Italian, but not that burdensome at least, since such devices should cost no more than 50€.

The chance to asses “drunkenness”  in a scientific way can only be considered as a good thing, compared it to consulting the alcohol-level schedule, full of variables and ultimately useless.  Another positive consideration is the fact that through an un-repressive law like this it is possible to grow people’s awareness on the way to drink responsibly. People won’t be forced to undergo tests but just provided the chance to and it is likely that the diffusion of such devices will spread the habit of use them.

Another positive aspect of this proposal is the ability to check in any time whether you’re breaking the law or not. Without a tool like that no one can be sure of being below the limit of alcohol allowed, being forced to move within a rather frustrating situation. Often those who are worried by this aspect prefer not to drink at all…

Not only positive aspects on this proposal. On my opinion another law circumventing the problem instead of solving it, above all if not supported by other correlated initiatives. It seems instead to be a totally impromptu project and in particular there are no hints on the application criteria: it’s clear that to be a really effective initiative those devices have to be accurate, certified and installed properly.

To conclude this could be an interesting idea which can help combat the problem and developing a culture of responsible drinking if implemented in the right terms, at least in relation to driving. Like all the news in the field, opinions are divided. Waiting for your considerations…