Keep reaching for that rainbow

Stateside they do it bigger and better - even if it's DUI. That's Driving Under the Influence for the Anglocentric. A former police officer returned the highest blood-alcohol reading ever recorded by a driver in Washington State.

Deana F. Jarrett achieved a barely believable 0.47 percent blood-alcohol reading on April 11th. More impressive than only hitting two cars was the fact that she was still alive.

The legal limit in Washington is 0.08 percent. A blood-alcohol level above 0.40 percent is potentially lethal. "Most people black out at between 0.35 and higher," said Detective Tim Gately of the Redmond Police Department said.

State Patrol guidelines require troopers to seek medical attention for people who have blood-alcohol readings above 0.25 percent. Jarrett was taken to hospital where she had to be restrained and was combative, according to a Patrol report.

Trooper Jeff Merrill, public-information officer for the State Patrol said they maintain records on all individuals who submit to a breath test in Washington. Thirty-five of the approximately 356,000 breath tests given since 1998 have registered above 0.40 percent, a records check revealed.

An average of 42,000 to 45,000 breathalyzer tests are given each year by all law-enforcement agencies in the state. No one had registered over 0.45 percent on a breath test, Merrill said.