Dallas Cowboys debate installing “Ignition Interlock” to disable cars if players have been drinking

Dallas Cowboys want to install ignition interlock devices (blow box) in all the players cars to test for drunk driving so they will be locked out if they have been drinking. This is being seriously considered by the organization to “protect player”, or are they? When do players have to accept personal responsibility for their actions.

If a payer is out getting smashed 2 days before a huge game on Sunday they are not serious about their job. I know drinking is hard on the body, it takes a few days to recover fully from a drinking binge and you feel like crap. That is why I stopped drinking years ago. I don’t even like going to clubs or bars just for the fact I hate getting drunk and the feeling you have the next day. Not to mention it adds years to your body. But you can’t tell young people this they have to figure it our themselves.

I wrote a post about this the other day saying that Costas would feel better if people had a blow machine in their car to test to make sure they would not be able to drive if drunk. I was joking about this but now it seems I was taken seriously, and right on target, by accident. If Costas had his way we would all have to give up our guns, cars, and personal freedom so he can feel safer. How does that make you feel?

Judge Napalatino said “The player are free to leave the team and not play for them therefore team owner have the right to have these installed” so yes, the team owners can put this in collective bargaining agreements to have this installed.  The judge also stated this will be a dumbing down of society if this would enacted while personal responsibility will wan. The government does not have the right to punish free people, so this should never happen, but since your giving up your rights each day now just wait it will happen. The government wants boxes similar to these to monitor your gas consumption so what’s next?

Now I had a DWI before and had one of these machines in my truck. It was a real pain in the ass, and come to find out they are not as accurate as one might believe. For instance if you had been eating pizza or use mouthwash they will go off. They are very sensitive to “alcohol” by-products. Yeast is used to make alcohol and when you eat bread, or products made with yeast, it will set off the alarm. Mouthwash is mainly alcohol and it will set off the unit to a point that it will lock you out so you can’t start your car for 15 minutes.

If you want to circumvent this machine it’s pretty easy to do, you can have someone else blow in it for you, or you can by pass it all together if your mechanically inclined.

On the flip side, it can report “false readings” on you by having a faulty ignition switch, like I did that said I failed 125 times in one day or by the food I ate while driving that gave a false reading. Then you have to explain this to the people that installed it and it is up to them if they want to report this. I had no idea it made this report until they downloaded the machine to inform them what I had been doing.

The state of Texas loves this little gold mine they have created. They get a company to partner with to have these installed/uninstalled, monitored and reported and you are charged each time they touch the device, it gets pretty expensive fast. These little machines are hard to master, you have to practice several times before you get it correct before you get a green light to start your car.

The downfall of this is simple, if you were incapacitated or hurt and needed to go to a doctor you can’t start your car. Now what happens when your in a dangerous place and needed to get away in a hurry to save your life from immediate danger, you would have to wait till the box said you could. If you have a robber coming upon you there is not way you could get away in time, and your life would be in danger. These are not hypothetical scenarios just a fact of what can happen.

Now lets say all teams adopt this practice, where does it stop? Can they tell you not to drive or go outside?