Drinking And Driving .Org - Behind the Wheel

Drunk Driving Prevention as a Green Initiative

Allen Porter — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:00:27 +0000

SAVE A TREE – DON’T DRINK & DRIVE

Everybody wants to be green these days. “Green Initiatives” are being mandated in and touted by corporations everywhere. Recycling is an industry and a lifestyle. People are buying electric or hybrid vehicles for their lower emissions as well as fewer trips to the pump. Many people are looking for new ways to go green and help preserve our planet’s resources.

In this blog, we talk a lot about the harm drunk driving does to people and property. But have you ever considered the impact drunk driving has on the environment? I’m not talking about smoke from collisions or alcohol-tainted CO2 released when the cop asks you to roll down the window. I mean real, tangible effects on our environment.

That’s right, I’m talking about the impact of drunk driving on TREES. The simplest drunk driving conviction results in a huge pile of paperwork. So I got to thinking, how many trees are consumed by drunk driving each year …

I asked The DUI Queen, Virginia Landry just how much paperwork is involved in a DUI case. She responded, “In “routine” case here, DUI arrest report 8 pages/breath testing packet 8 pages/blood testing packet 50 pages/audio tapes/videotapes. Accident adds 10 pages, injury another 5. Fatalities 500 plus pages and photographs/accident reconstruction reports (about 15 pages). I always scan in a copy to our database and print one to write all over in client prep.”

Before we play with these numbers, notice that Landry prints out a second copy. This leads to the question, “How many copies get printed?”

I called the San Bernardino Superior Court traffic division to find out.

Two printed copies are standard for defense as well as prosecution. So that’s four copies. There is also a File copy for the court records. At least five hard copies of court documents are printed out for every drunk driving case.

Now we’ll apply this to some 2009 stats from the Centers for Disease Control.

They show 1.4 million arrests. Not all of those wind up in court. So let’s take a nice chunk off and call it a million even.

Out of those …

There were 10,839 fatalities. All reports apply. 591 pages for each copy.

5 copies means 2,955 pages for each instance.
2,955 x 10,839 = 32,029,245 pages per year

There were 254,000 people injured. Count on a blood draw + accident report. 96 pages each copy.

5 copies means 475 pages for each instance.
475 x 254,000 = 120,650,000 pages per year

Probably 400,000 non-injury accidents. Blood draw likely. 91 pages each copy.

5 copies means 455 pages each instance.
455 x 400,000 = 182,000,000 pages per year

Allowing for multiple injury and fatality instances, let’s say we are left with about 340,000 ‘vanilla DUIs’ (many with blood draws) at an average of 50 pages/copy.

5 copies means 250 pages each instance.
250 x 340,000 = 85,000,000 pages per year

Total annual paper usage attributable to drunk driving 419,679,245 pages!

From ConservATree, we find that you get an average of

8,333.3 sheets of paper per tree.

This leads to a figure of 50,361.7 trees!

Over 50,000 trees are killed every year to process drunk driving arrests.

That’s just paper used inside the courtroom. A drunk driving arrest can result in plenty of other paperwork as well. We didn’t count associated paper generated by the DMV, towing, bail, ignition interlock, scram monitoring, probation, insurance, or paperwork stemming from associated charges.

Looking for your own, personal Green Initiative? Save A Tree – Don’t Drink And Drive.

KIIS-FM Community Council Interview 12-25-11

Allen Porter — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:09:25 +0000

I was recently interviewed by Jesse Lozano for the Community Council show. This interview aired Christmas Day on KIIS-FM, KYSR-FM, and KLAC-AM. We covered BAC, designated driver services, penny-sucking, social factors, and more! My part is the first 20 minutes …

KIIS-FM Community Council 12-25-11

Thanks to Jesse Lozano for being a gracious host and excellent interviewer.

Going All ‘Janet Napolitano’ on Drunk Driving

Allen Porter — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:32:09 +0000

The “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign was designed to help law enforcement and homeland security forces gather intelligence which could prevent terrorist attacks. It’s meant to literally raise awareness … of your surroundings! The world we live in has changed so much in the years since the September 11th attacks. Now we are subjected to Orwellian messaging while we shop at Walmart and attend public events. “If You See Something, Say Something” has The Drudge Report calling Janet, ‘Big Sis’ as we are asked to watch each other for suspicious behavior.

So what does all this have to do with drunk driving? We are being asked to be proactive toward terrorism. After all, lives are at stake. By watching out for objects in strange places and people doing odd things, and by acting on what we see, we can potentially avert deadly attacks. In essence, it’s a nation-wide Neighborhood Watch campaign. Let’s consider a primary purpose of the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign to be saving American lives. Now consider the lives lost to drunk driving every year.

Here is a simple chart with simple statistics comparing the fatalities of the 9/11 attacks to fatalities from the Iraq War to the fatalities from drunk driving.

There were nearly 11,000 drunk driving fatalities last year. This is lower than the average considering we are coming off of years of 12,000 and 13,000 deaths per year.

American casualties in the Iraq War total almost 4,300 since 2003. If the Iraq War went on for another 16 years, we’d have about as many fatalities as in one year from drunk driving.

9/11 casualties were just under 3,000. If there were three 9/11-style attacks in our country every year, it would not equal the deaths from drunk driving.

So how can “If You See Something, Say Something” impact drunk driving deaths? Over the past several years, I have googled news stories on a daily basis for the terms DUI, DWI, and OWI. I read many drunk driving news articles every day and there are several things I look for. One of them led me to a statistic we state on our Home page. I take note of whether a news story tells what the drunk driver was doing before getting into the car. In particular, I look for whether they were alone, or with other people. I kept track and after reading hundreds of news stories, it turns out that only 10% of drunk drivers are drinking in solitude before driving. 90% of all drunk driving happens after hanging, dining, or going out with friends, family, or coworkers. There is almost always somebody there who could prevent each instance of drunk driving.

But how, just by being there, can we prevent somebody from driving drunk? Well, we can’t. We can’t stop a terrorist at Walmart just by being there either. That’s why we are asked through the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign to be vigilant, to know what others around us are doing, and to know what’s going on. We should know what is ‘normal’ so we can notice something ‘out of place’.

Applying the same concept to drunk driving means learning how alcohol interacts with the body, and how to properly wait after drinking before driving (even if you don’t drink). When you are with people who are drinking, try to take note of how much they are having and how much time passes before they leave. When you see drunk driving about to happen, step in and say something! Start a conversation and prevent that person from leaving. Don’t sit by and allow people, even strangers, to stagger away from you to get in their cars. Intervene.

By being observant and proactive, we can prevent acts of terrorism. By applying the same principle, we can dramatically reduce the deaths attributed to drunk driving. Now all we need is a DHS video campaign in places where people congregate to drink …

“If You See Drunk Driving About To Happen, Say Something”

Breathalyzer Refusal – It’s Your (worthless) Right!

Allen Porter — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 01:56:46 +0000

When you are suspected of drunk driving and the officer wants to give you a breathalyzer test, that officer will likely tell you that you have a right to refuse the test. Sounds great, doesn’t it? If you refuse, because you have a ‘right’ to, then there’s no evidence, right?

Well, a breathalyzer test is only one of several pieces of evidence against you. If you reek of alcohol, have glassy eyes and difficulty standing, those are pieces of evidence which will not be overlooked just because there is no BAC number to go along with them. Also, the breathalyzer test comes last. When you are asked to blow into a breathalyzer, it is usually because you have already failed other tests and now they just want to get the BAC number as a final piece of evidence. So refusing the breathalyzer test is not a sure way to beat a drunken driving charge.

Still, you have a right to refuse. People cite their 5^th amendment rights and point out the invasiveness of a breathalyzer test. After all, they are taking a sample of your breath and using it as evidence against you. A common example of 5^th amendment rights is where a criminal ‘pleads the 5^th’ in response to questions where the answers may be self-incriminating.

In situations like pleading the 5^th in court, no penalties can be brought against you for exercising your right. That’s cool in a court room, but it doesn’t work that way on the side of the road when an officer is trying to determine if you are too drunk to drive.

In fact, if you refuse a breathalyzer test, you wind up with a charge against you for refusing the breathalyzer test! I’ve heard people say that the reason they would refuse to blow is to avoid losing their license as a result of their drunk driving charge. Well, guess what the typical punishment for breathalyzer refusal is … That’s right! You typically lose your license for anywhere from six months to a year. So much for that idea. In Hawaii, refusal will Double the time you lose your license!

Breathalyzer refusal *might* also count the same as a drunk driving charge on your record. In New Jersey, the Supreme Court recently ruled that the two crimes were not interchangeable with respect to repeat offenses. Let’s say in separate incidents, you’d had a DWI and a refusal. Your next DWI would have been treated like your 3^rd. Now it will be treated like your 2^nd. This will likely be challenged and may not be the case where you are.

When you refuse, obviously, you are not cooperating with the officer. In fact, you’ll notice an immediate change in his demeanor. Depending on the law where you are, you might even be ‘interfering with an investigation’. It never looks good in court the next day to be uncooperative during the arrest.

And there are some states that won’t take ‘no’ for an answer! “No Refusal” is the NHTSA strategy to obtain a forced blood draw from those who refuse the breathalyzer test. Local judges agree to be on call to approve the search warrant necessary to take a sample of your blood. Out of over 30 states where the laws allow for a No Refusal approach, 9 already use it. You may have heard of this over the holidays and thought it was a seasonal thing. Depending on where you are, it may be a year-round tactic.

Now let’s be clear. DrinkingAndDriving.Org is not a legal firm and our advice should not be considered ‘legal advice’. We are a non-profit citizen group. Our goal is to steer folks in a direction away from drunk driving. You should always consult with an attorney prior to giving up anything described to you as a right! That said, we think breathalyzer refusal is a bad strategy.

There are two kinds of people who think refusal is a good strategy, drunk people and defense attorneys. I kid. I used to see attorney websites advising people to refuse, but that is soo 2010.

If you google around, you’ll find that most defense attorneys will tell you refusal is a bad idea that just makes things worse. Some suggest there may be rare occasions when it makes sense to refuse a breathalyzer test. But they make it sound like you would need to be able to call the attorney after getting pulled over and before being asked to blow in order to determine whether you should refuse or not. Obviously, that isn’t going to happen.

No matter how you look at it, refusing a breathalyzer test is the wrong advice. It complicates matters and adds penalties against you. In fact, we call refusal the WORST ADVICE given to beat a breathalyzer test in our “Avoid The Voodoo” lesson. The only Real way to beat a breathalyzer test is to wait sufficiently after drinking before driving. THAT is our advice.

‘Tis the Season for DUI Checkpoints!

Allen Porter — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:39:09 +0000

The holidays are here and DUI Checkpoints are EVERYWHERE! And they aren’t just being conducted on weekends and holiday dates, either. Across the country, money is being made available in the form of grants to law enforcement agencies to conduct an ever-increasing number of DUI, DWI, or Sobriety Checkpoints. There are checkpoints being held somewhere every day this holiday season.

With so many checkpoints going on, you’d think that people might drink and drive less, but the results of checkpoints prove otherwise. In fact, no matter how heavily promoted a DUI checkpoint is, drunk people will still be caught in it. Try Googling News for “DUI checkpoint results” sometime.

A new DUI checkpoint strategy is to include a giveaway for those successfully passing through the checkpoint. Giving people something as they pass through the checkpoint makes the event more memorable or even more educational.

In New Mexico, the Department of Transportation teamed up with MADD to give away lip balm and wristbands.

A memorable DUI checkpoint giveaway that will surely be talked about at some Thanksgiving dinner tables is this one in Salinas County, California. See? If they don’t arrest you, they’ll give you the bird!

Some law enforcement agencies don’t like to advertise where or when they will be having a checkpoint in advance, while others feel getting the message out will have a wider impact than just the people passing through the checkpoint.

Indeed, getting the message out can be Vital. Here’s a checkpoint where the head of the local OVI Task Force is saying, “We’re not looking for DUIs,” and stresses the use of checkpoints as a deterrent factor. This is for a historically deadly stretch of road. Raising awareness among the drivers of this road is a central benefit of conducting a DUI checkpoint.

This holiday season, the DUI checkpoints are plentiful and in many places, penalties for drunk driving have increased since last year. There has never been a better time to make the commitment to not drink and drive, to always plan for alternatives to driving after drinking, and above all, to always help each other.

There will be many people arrested for drunk driving over the next six weeks who will be caught upon leaving a family or workplace get-together. This year, let’s make a promise to not let our friends, family, and coworkers drive after drinking.

Why The NFL’s PLAYER PROTECT Program is a TOTAL FAIL

Allen Porter — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 10:49:43 +0000

An article by ESPN’s Scoop Jackson, entitled “Drinking, Driving, and Ignoring the NFL’s Help” exposes one of the two reasons that PLAYER PROTECT is not only a FAIL, but was DOOMED from the start. The names of players and coaches in Scoop’s article will be familiar to those who follow us on facebook. News about how the PLAYER PROTECT program works is difficult to come by. The NFL doesn’t say much about it, and as I learn more, I can’t say I blame them!

The unfortunate truth is that PLAYER PROTECT is nothing more than a covert TAXI operation. It’s a free ride home that nobody is ALLOWED to know about. The secrecy is an aspect I’ll get to in a minute. Now, I believed from the scant descriptions in print that PLAYER PROTECT was a true Designated Driver program which would take the player home in their vehicle. It isn’t. It’s just a ride. Worse than that, it’s a free ride for a rich guy!

What Scoop reports that players are saying is true for many people. You don’t want to leave your expensive car in the bar parking lot overnight and have to go back the next day. This is very frequently a HUGE FACTOR for people with nice cars and busy lives in making the decision to drive drunk instead of taking a cab.

Seriously, it was IDIOCY to think that a free cab ride home would be an option that would interest these guys. Asking them to bail on their car isn’t going to work. PLAYER PROTECT needed to get that ride home too. Since it didn’t, nobody was interested.

Why doesn’t the NFL realize that there are hundreds of Designated Driver Services across America they could partner with? Give the players and staff a card that gives them a safe ride home IN THEIR VEHICLE. There are so many companies that will take a drunk player AND his car home. A lot of these companies offer gift certificates and memberships. And I am CERTAIN those who don’t would be willing to create a program to cover an entire team AND staff.

The other serious problem with PLAYER PROTECT is the way the NFL makes a player feel like he is doing something wrong just by using the service. “Don’t worry. Nobody will know you used it” and “I don’t want to Hear who is using it” are NOT the right messages to send. But then, the equivalent of a rich guy taking a free cab ride IS pretty embarrassing. I don’t know what they were thinking when they put this program together.

Instead of being embarrassed about trying to deal with a serious situation, The NFL needs to accept that drunk driving is the most consistent embarrassment they face. They drink in groups and they drive as individuals. The NFL needs to get serious about drunk driving and making somebody feel bad about not driving drunk is the wrong way to do it.

The NFL needs to partner with REAL Designated Driver Services and accept that players who use such a service are heroes, not embarrassments. Players using the program should be given additional perks, maybe more seats for family and friends, or maybe a contribution to the player’s favorite charity. Any person who uses a Designated Driver Service is protecting not only themselves, but the community they drive in. In fact, they could call the new program COMMUNITY PROTECT.

That’s it. PLAYER PROTECT needs to be scratched and replaced with COMMUNITY PROTECT. Because one of the realities the NFL refuses to accept is, the numerous drunk drivers among them are endangering communities across the country. They NEED to handle this better.

Thanks for the scoop, Scoop!

Would An Attempted Murder Charge Deter Repeat Offenders?

Allen Porter — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:31:00 +0000

The high-profile DUI case stemming from the crash of April 9, 2009 which took the lives of Nick Adenhart, Courtney Stewart, and Henry Pearson as well as internally decapitating(!) Jon Wilhite has come to an end with three 2nd Degree Murder convictions for Andrew Gallo. Adenhart was a rookie pitcher for the Angels with a promising career, having pitched six scoreless innings earlier that evening. Gallo was a repeat drunk driver with no regard for human life.

Regardless of who the parties were, with 12,000 deaths each year, how did this admittedly brutal drunk driving crash rise to the level of 2nd degree murder? It was actually pretty straightforward! After his first DUI, Gallo received very specific education regarding the dangers of drunk driving. But it wasn’t just the training. Most convicted drunk drivers have to take these sort of classes. Gallo also signed a court document stating that he understood he could be charged with murder if he killed somebody while driving drunk.

One third of all drunk driving arrests are repeat offenders. That’s one third of about a million people each year! I don’t know how many convicted drunk drivers sign agreements like the one Gallo did, but in his case, it helped to serve justice in the end.

Obviously, the threat of a murder charge was not enough to stop Andrew Gallo from driving drunk. And maybe he simply didn’t take it seriously. But you have to ask yourself, now that we have seen the ultimate potential result of such a contract, would contracts like this deter some people from repeating their offense?

Let’s say first time DUI offenders who go through court-mandated DUI education had to sign a statement saying they understood the dangers of drunk driving and accepted that if they were arrested for drunk driving again, they could be charged with attempted murder even if there was no crash. Knowing that ‘contracts’ like this can be fullly executed, would it lower the number of repeat offenders? Would it be a strong enough deterrent for you?

The Next Step is to Treat Drunk Drivers the Way We Treat Smokers!

Allen Porter — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:20:27 +0000

Now if you smoke, you already know what I’m getting at. You go to the park, or the beach, or maybe just walk down the street smoking in public and people give you dirty looks. But it doesn’t stop there, does it? No.

Somebody will most likely come up and directly confront you – PUT THAT OUT! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? HOW DARE YOU? And that’s the polite ones.

Smoking has become vilified in our society to the point where if you smoke in public, you can expect somebody to harass you. Contemporary etiquette Demands that smokers ask if it is OK before lighting up. People feel ENTITLED to tell you to your face not to smoke around them.

You get nagged by complete strangers if you are a smoker. If you drink and drive, however, the mood is entirely different.

Suppose you are sitting in a bar or restaurant with a friend. You’ve downed a few beers, and you’re ready to go. Your friend gives you a handshake and a wave as you leave. The couple at the next table gives you a polite smile and everyone is happy … as you get in your car … at like a .09.

One of the reasons many people drink and drive is because they can! They have a built-in support group called ‘modern society’ with representatives in every bar, restaurant, and party ready to smile and wave goodbye as they watch each other stagger to their cars. People can drink and drive because they know that other than the cops, nobody else is going to harass them. This is how smoking used to be! Other than your doctor, nobody was going to get in your face about it. That was before smoking became vilified.

The vilification of drunk driving is a social change waiting to happen. Too few are willing to say, “Hey there! You’d better wait a while before getting in your car. There’s too much of that drunk driving crap going on!” They don’t feel entitled to tell you off about driving after drinking like they will if they catch you smoking.

Like the air, we all share the roads. We HAVE an entitlement to drunk-free roads the same as we have an entitlement to smoke-free air. I would even argue that we have a far greater entitlement to drunk-free roads because, unlike the whisp of second hand smoke, a drunk driver can maim or kill you immediately and effectively.

Americans need to recognize this entitlement and embrace it. It shouldn’t be as easy as it is to sit around drinking with friends right before hopping in the car and driving away. Friends and complete strangers should get up the courage to speak out and stop people from getting in their cars after drinking. Look at how many drunk driving stories state the offender was leaving a party/get-together/dinner with friends/family/coworkers. Look at how preventable these are!

All you non-smokers should compare the ‘danger’ of second-hand smoke and ‘horror’ of cigarette butts littering the sand to drunk drivers spilling blood (possibly yours) all over the streets you drive on. Then, get up and get in people’s faces before they can drive drunk the way you do when somebody has the unmitigated audacity to light up in your general vicinity.

And for those of you who smoke, guess what? Here is YOUR chance to join in the fun everybody has been having at your expense. You too can approach your friends and even complete strangers when you see them about to drive after drinking. You can get in their face, prevent an instance of drunk driving, and quite possibly save a life.

As I said, this requires a societal change. Enough of us have to do this to make it work. It can begin with even the small number of people reading this blog. The way smokers are commonly treated in public began with a few people here and there expressing their entitlement, getting in somebody’s face, and showing people they weren’t going to take it anymore. Other people saw this and ran with it. It spread and here we are today where you can’t light a cigarette at the beach. Drunk driving deserves this treatment, don’t you think?

We can do it. YOU can do it! Check out this video about how to spread a concept. A drunk guy (ironic, I know) is doing a crazy dance at a festival. Another guy gets up to mock him. The drunk guy teaches the other guy how to do his particular crazy dance. More people get up and join in, watching and teaching each other how to do the dance. Before you know it, the entire crowd is doing the same crazy dance and it all started with one drunk guy. All we have to do is recognize the opportunity to prevent somebody from driving after drinking and jump on it. Others, seeing this, will follow.

Here is an interview I did on Ridin Dirty – The Radio Show August 2, 2010 which touches on this topic.

New Drunk Driving Laws Will Create Jobs

Allen Porter — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 12:14:10 +0000

Many states are adopting new laws against drunk drivers that involve putting an ignition interlock system on the offender’s car.

An ignition interlock is essentially a breathalyzer wired into your car’s ignition system. A clean breath test is required to start the car and randomly occurring retests ensure the person who started the car is the one still driving it. Minnesota’s new law for example, imposes ignition interlock on DWI offenders whose blood alcohol concentration is .16 (twice the legal limit) or higher.

We predict laws like these will create jobs in two particular industries.

The obvious one is the ignition interlock business. As we point out in our “Avoiding DUI with Devices” article, somebody who desires an ignition interlock device will want to consider location above everything else due to the necessary monthly visits to the shop for calibration and data collection. The sudden influx of customers for ignition interlock installation centers all over a given state is going to drive the demand for more of these centers with qualified staff everywhere.

Think about what will have to happen when the entire nation eventually adopts ignition interlock laws. 1,000,000 people at any one time will have ignition interlock systems on their cars! There will be a need for ignition interlock installation centers in almost every city and town in America.

The other industry that can expect job growth from these new laws is Designated Driver Services. Designated driver services are companies and organizations that get both you and your car home safely after a night of drinking. Some of them use foldaway scooters that they stow in your trunk while they drive you home in your car. Some send two people in a chase car so that one can drive your car home while the other follows.

These new laws present a situation where the court can impose punishment on you AND your family. It goes like this …

Dad goes out, gets himself a DWI and now the family car has an ignition interlock on it. Dad may also be in treatment programs and might even be wearing a SCRAM alcohol-monitoring bracelet. But the rest of the family is prevented from driving the family car after drinking too! Think about that. Now, nobody can drive the car after drinking. It’s still OK for Mom to go out and have a drink, but she is faced with the same situation in using the car as Dad.

With ignition interlock, somebody has to blow below a .02 to start the car and no sober person is going to blow for you AND be your passenger for the rolling retests. If you drink, you need a clean driver to get home. A designated driver service is a simple solution to this dilemma.

So ignition interlock laws create new opportunities for designated driver services. As their new law takes effect, 12 of Minnesota’s 87 counties have designated driver services operating in them. We expect that number to grow as we have seen happen in other states like Washington and Illinois which have adopted ignition interlock laws.

UPDATE (10.22.10) - Here is an example of what we’re talking about in an article from New York …

DWI Law Means Business For Auto Repair Shops …

DrinkingAndDriving.Org’s Interview on Ridin’ Dirty – The Radio Show

Allen Porter — Wed, 19 May 2010 10:56:57 +0000

There is a unique radio program on KLAA AM 830 located literally IN Angel Stadium, Anaheim. Created by its host, Ken Sharp, Ridin’ Dirty – The Radio Show is the only talk radio show dedicated solely to the issues surrounding drunk driving. Ken and his co-host Julie Atkinson discuss the latest DUI news and related topics with a slant that I was immediately able to appreciate; that you can enjoy alcohol without ever driving drunk.

Now, this show gets pre-empted frequently for Angels games. But we highly recommend listening to Ridin’ Dirty – The Radio Show whenever it is on. Consider it a Daily Affirmation to not drink and drive! If you aren’t within range of KLAA, you can listen live at the Ridin’ Dirty website. Unfortunately, you must listen live, because they don’t do podcasts at this time.

Although it is broadcast in southern California, Ridin’ Dirty is produced live in Arizona. Now, I’ve been in awe of this show for almost a year and have been patiently waiting for Ken and Julie to come out to KLAA to do the show in the studio. They finally made it into town for a day and invited me on to be a guest along with Mark (a brand manager for Jack Daniels), Virginia Landry (“The DUI Queen” Attorney), and Jill (Executive Director for Team Coalition).

As I said, the KLAA studios are in Angel Stadium, and the day of the show, there was a game scheduled later in the afternoon. Security was appropriately tight getting in two hours before the parking lots were supposed to open.

I met Julie first and I have to say that Ken had better treat her right! Julie is attractive and expressive and one could easily imagine her on television. Julie would make a great host on a network morning show, all perky and wonderful. Ken is friendly, opinionated and very entertaining.

It is the interplay between Ken and Julie that keeps Ridin’ Dirty rolling. While the show I appeared on was chock-full-o-guests, Ken and Julie will usually have one or two guests, and spend the rest of the time discussing all that is going on in the world of driving under the influence. It is these chats that make Ridin’ Dirty – The Radio Show recommended listening.

The studio was large, comfortable, and very modern. Although it was a nice studio, it must be like playing an ‘away’ game not working in their Arizona studio for a change. I found it fascinating that, while there were some minor bumps in the road, Ken was able to direct the KLAA engineers (who I assume he normally does not work with) and literally manage every aspect of the show, all the while keeping the conversations going.

After the show, I wanted to check out the plumbing before leaving, so I followed Jill (who was going to shoot a PSA interviewing fans) and The DUI Queen through the concrete maze to the interior of the stadium. When I was ready to leave, I had what felt like a Kids in The Hall moment where every door I entered led to an enormous kitchen with people wearing shower caps who would stop what they were doing and just stare. I mean like six or seven times. Anyway, I made it out of there and this blog entry is proof!

Listen to my interview