“You know, the economy’s rebounding a bit. Looking forward to what we have in store,” said Eric Sosinki, a patron of the Winking Lizard in Lakewood.
Nobody is looking forward to New Year’s Eve more than Jose Gonzalez.
“Being with people I haven’t seen in a long time. It’s going to be huge,” he said, speaking of a party he plans to attend.”There’s going to be hundreds of people there. It’s going to be popping off!”
The parties, the fun–and for some –the alcohol.
“People who want to have a good time, they’re partying, they’re at the bars. People will be drinking,” said Tony Citro, who’s come into town to visit friends and family.
We all know drinking and driving don’t mix, but is it safe to drive after one drink? Some say yes, though others are turning to self-breathalyzer tests.
Citro volunteered to try out our keychain-sized device, which cost $15.
“Well, right now it’s showing that I’m at the moderate level, that I’m not over the legal limit but I’m under it,” he said, after one blow into the breathalyzer. “I’ve had two beers, two tall beers, and that’s where its showing it right now. I think the breathalyzer is great.”
Though, one of his friends had mixed feelings on the gadget.
“I think my parents got one for my 21st birthday, so they got me it as a joke,” said Lana Olinek, who had used a different self-breathalyzer in the past. “But my friends tested it, we passed it around the table, and it was really really inaccurate.”
But are these tests as reliable as what police officers use on drunk motorists?
“I think the ones that they sell over the counter would give you a pretty good gauge of how much you’d be drinking. I don’t know if it’s exactly accurate,” said Parma Police Detective Tom Conner. “I wouldn’t depend on a $15 or $20 device to determine if I’m good to drive. It’s not worth going to jail or worse… possibly killing someone.”
Conner said last year, 320 people were killed on Ohio roadways. Alcohol was to blame.
“We encourage you to go out, have fun, enjoy the new year,” Conner said. “But we also want to make sure you come home safe, so have that plan. Take a cab, have a designated driver.”
Regardless if a self-breathalyzer works, patrons say it’s a good reminder to find a safe way home because the consequences aren’t worth the risk.
“I got hit by a drunk driver on New Year’s Eve, actually,” Citro said. “My brother and I were driving. Some guy rammed into the back of my car without even knowing it and then continued to go on. He didn’t know what was going on. I was lucky in that situation. A lot of people might not be.”