British Public Houses To Install Drink Meters For Car Drivers
CARLISLE, ENGLAND - Fourteen public houses owned by the British government are installing drink meters to tell car drivers when they've had enough. The meters test reaction speeds. The driver drops a coin in the meter, then tries to stop the coin by pressing a button. If he can stop it in less than .12 of a second he gets the coin back. If not, he loses the coin and gets warning that is reactions have slowed up.
The machines are approved by Britain's Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents, though not by some police officers. Sidney Ballance, chief constable of neighboring Barrow-in Furness, called them a menace. He said they will encourage drivers to drink more to test their capacity.
Some people doubt the drink meters efficiency. Peter Johnson, a young Royal Air Force officer, wrote to the Observer Sunday to say he and several other young pilots tried out the machines and found their reactions improving as they had more to drink.
As reported in the Muskogee Daily Phoenix (Muskogee, Oklahoma) Monday, 27 June 1960.