Don't like getting your blood drawn? Don't drink and drive. One third of Phoenix precincts now draw blood to check for DUIs and Tempe police are looking into taking up the practice. Blood tests are more accurate than breathalyzers and provide lasting proof of intoxication as the blood can be tested repeatedly. Although it's mildly creepy that the police can now herd you into a van and draw your blood like some kind of vampiric cult, we understand the switch. After all, due to scary new consequences of drunk driving, (if you needed any more than driving through an outdoor bar mitzvah in a drunken stupor) more and more DUI cases are going to court, which means that the state needs better proof in order to keep drunks off the road.
It's no coincidence that the move away from breathalyzer tests comes at the heels of very strict new statewide laws concerning DUI punishment.
Anyone caught driving under the influence will now have his or her vehicle fitted with a system that prevents operation of the vehicle unless the person is sober. Furthermore, those caught with "super extreme" DUIs (above .20 percent blood alcohol content) will be forced to spend a minimum of 45 days in a "super extreme" jail where they will be launched down a giant slide and pitted against a series of foes with names such as Buzzsaw… wait that's the plot of The Running Man. In any case, the moral of the story is that getting a DUI in Arizona really, really sucks.
There is an alternative. While The State Press does not condone the operation of any sort of vehicle while under the influence, there is no DUI law in Tempe for non-motorized vehicles. This means that biking, skateboarding and even rollerblading while drunk are all ways to avoid the needle and the jail time that now comes with driving drunk.
