Chicago DUI Defense Law Blog

Illinois viewers can expect a wave of beer advertisements during this Sunday's Super Bowl game and the Illinois Liquor Control Commission isn't happy about that. Commission members are concerned about the message those ads will send to younger viewers, so they have launched a week of activities meant to call attention to the risk associated with underage drinking.

People under the age of 21 are not allowed to consume alcohol in this country because our society believes people have not attained the maturity needed to drink responsibly until they have reached that age. Many young people disagree with that view (and they may have a point, since 16-year-olds are responsible enough to drive and 18-year-olds are mature enough to go to war and to vote in elections), but they do not understand how much trouble they risk getting into if they defy our country's drinking laws and consume alcohol before they are of age.

Drunk driving is an issue we all need to pay attention to here in Chicagoland. Drunk drivers poses a danger to others, of course, but DUI charges also takes away from people's lives in that they have to spend a shocking amount of time and money to make sure that they are not run over by our very harsh means of punishing DUIs.

So, what if there were a smartphone app that functioned like a field sobriety test and might help people realize they have had too much to drink and thus should not drive? Would you trust it enough to use it?