You’re a young 20-year-old adult who’s attending a gathering serving as Designated Driver. You don’t expect police to arrest a non-drinking Designated Driver (DD). And you hasn’t had even a sip of beer. In fact, you don’t like it.

You’re doing this for your friends who are drinking. Your friends are mostly 21 or older. You should be commend for being a DD. Yet there are many abstaining DDs arrested if they’re under age 21.

I. Having Sober Designated Drivers Arrested is a Problem

You’re not having a single drop of alcohol. You’re a good role model as a DD. You’re being a responsible adult.

However, police may arrest and charge you with a crime!!!

Laws in many states presume persons under the age of 21 to be guilty under such circumstances. That includes adults who are 18, 19 and 20. So police don’t need to test them for evidence of drinking. They may arrest them on charges of illegal drinking and/or possession of alcohol.

The innocent can face jail, fines, license suspension, and a permanent criminal record. This can prevent them from entering many professions. That’s severe punishment for being a DD.

Police insist that it’s too much trouble to figure out who’s innocent and who’s guilty. And besides, they may not have had enough alcohol breath testers to detect. So they say they must arrest everyone.

II. Underage Designated Drivers Arrested, Assumed Guilty

The policy seems to violate the First Amendment of the US Constitution. It guarantees the right of assembly.

Also, it seems to violate a fundamental principle of American justice. That is, that everyone is always assumed to be innocent until proven guilty.

No Justice

It’s under dictatorships that people are assumed guilty and must prove their innocence. But that’s exactly what many innocent young adults are being forced to do right here in the U.S.

The false charge can sometimes be successfully challenged. That is, if the person rushes to a doctor to get a blood or urine test. That could prove that they didn’t drink any alcohol.

But even this evidence may not be enough to prove their innocence. In some cases the evidence must come from a police-operated breath tester. Or the innocent young person may simply face charges possession rather than consumption.

Isn’t it better to let a guilty person go rather than convict an innocent one?

This seems to be a discriminatory civil rights issue. Yet it appears that the number of states with such unjust laws is increasing.

III. Designated Driving is Important

Designated Drivers help their friends and family in many ways. They help them

• • Prevent needless injury or death.
  • Stay out of jail.
  • Keep their driving licenses
  • Avoid heavy fines.
  • Possibly lose their job.
  • Avoid great embarrassment.

DDs have probably saved over 150,000 lives. And they’ve probably saved over 450,000 people from injury.

Now you know about abstaining designated drivers arrested if under 21 and around underage drinkers.