Media Contact: Karen Hunt, Think Twice, (208) 310-6697, karen@DUIprevention.org’
Bellevue, Wash. – Think Twice, a leading provider of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) prevention solutions throughout the U.S. and Canada, has received grantsfrom the Missoula County and Gallatin County DUI Task Forces to expand their responsible alcohol service programs.
“People who casually drink and drive often do not understand the key factors involved with the metabolism of alcohol or how it relates to blood alcohol content (BAC) during a DUI arrest,” said Forrest McKai, vice president and co-founder of Think Twice.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol preliminary crash data for 2019, 50 percent of all crashes on Montana’s highways in 2019 were caused by people driving under the influence, the second highest rate of all 50 states. Additionally, alcohol was a suspected factor in 39.5 percent of highway deaths in 2019.
“The grants from the Montana DUI Task Forces make the Think Twice hospitality program free for all bar participants. The concept is simple. If breathalyzers are used by law enforcement to arrest people after they drive away from a bar or restaurant, it makes sense to offer patrons an easy way to understand when they should not drive,” said McKai.
To accomplish this goal, Think Twice will provide alcohol serving establishments single-use breathalyzers available for their customers to prevent DUIs. The device is about the size of a small pencil and will provide four different BAC levels: 0.0 percent, 0.002 percent, 0.05 percent, and 0.08 percent. The task force grants will also support media kits and service team training provided by Think Twice for alcohol serving establishments at no cost.
“In my more than 15 years of law enforcement experience, Think Twice is the most innovative, proactive, meet-them-where-they-are DUI prevention strategy,” said Steve Schmidt, senior program manager for the Missoula County DUI Task Force.
Anyone at or above 0.08 percent BAC is automatically guilty of DUI. Think Twice will partner with bar owners to help customers who are not visibly impaired, but still at risk of a DUI, make educated decisions about driving.
“We want to work with Think Twice because their approach to DUI prevention starts with practical solutions for bars and restaurants, which is surprisingly a new idea,” said Leah Mobley, coordinator for the Gallatin County DUI Task Force.
To learn more about Think Twice, visit www.duiprevention.org. For more information, visit www.drivesafemissoula.com/prevention.
