Purpose: To implement a law granting The State of South Carolina the authority to implement a POS based Alcohol Monitoring System to track and regulate service quantity limits on alcohol sales by consumers.
This law seeks to qualify and approve the system (in it's final phase) for regulated use under South Carolina Law and require that Insurance Carriers use the data from the system to adjust, recalculate, underwrite and administer liability insurance premiums under a scaled data driven system. Lawmakers and State appointed financial entities will create conjunctive legislation that sets forth the rates, discounts and incentives for both businesses using the system and the Insurance Carriers who provide them based on business data and analytics of its' history.
Section 1: Purpose
This legislation aims to improve public safety by reducing the risk of excessive alcohol consumption in establishments that serve alcohol. By implementing a cashless system that limits the number of drinks a patron can purchase, restaurants and bars can take a proactive approach in managing alcohol sales while benefiting from enhanced liability protection and incentives provided by insurance companies.
Section 2: Definitions
For the purpose of this Act, the following terms shall be defined as:
Section 3: Responsible Alcohol Monitoring System
Section 4: Incentives for Businesses
Section 5: Regulation and Monitoring
Section 6: Penalties for Non-Compliance
Section 7: Effective Date
This Act shall take effect six (6) months from the date of passage, allowing businesses and insurance companies adequate time to implement the necessary systems and ensure compliance.
The tracking system aims to limit the number of alcoholic beverages purchased by any individual within a 24-hour period using a credit or debit card. This system is intended to be integrated with the existing Point-of-Sale (POS) system in restaurants and bars, capturing essential details like the last 4 digits of the credit card, the last name of the purchaser, and the issuing banking institution. It will also maintain a searchable record for 90 days and automatically email this data to a managing party for verification.
System Design Overview
1. Data Collection & Input Process
The tracking system will log key information whenever a patron makes a purchase of an alcoholic beverage. The data fields collected include:
Last 4 digits of the credit or debit card used for the transaction
Last name of the purchaser (as it appears on the credit card)
Banking institution associated with the credit or debit card
This data is recorded into a Searchable CSV File, which is maintained on the POS system for tracking purposes.
2. Tracking Alcohol Purchases
Each purchase will be tracked and recorded in real-time. The system will verify:
Drink Limit: A maximum of 7 alcoholic beverages per individual can be purchased within a 24-hour period using the same credit or debit card.
Purchase Window: The 24-hour period begins with the first purchase and expires 24 hours later. After the end of this window, there must be a minimum 8-hour waiting period before new drink purchases can be made on the same card.
3. POS System Integration
Adaptable POS Module
A custom module will be developed to work with most POS systems. The module should seamlessly integrate into the existing POS framework and function as follows:
Step 1: Data Entry
When a customer orders an alcoholic beverage, the server swipes or enters the credit/debit card information. The system will extract the last 4 digits of the card, the purchaser's last name, and the banking institution from the card details.
Step 2: Data Storage
The information is recorded in a transaction log within the POS, which is saved as a CSV file and searchable by:
Last 4 digits of the card
Purchaser's last name
Banking institution
Step 3: Drink Verification
The system checks the card's prior transactions to determine:
Has the card already purchased 7 drinks in the last 24 hours?
Has the required 8-hour gap from the previous drink limit window been met?
If either condition is violated, the system blocks the purchase of additional drinks for that card and issues an alert to the server.
4. Searchable CSV File System
CSV Data Storage
Each transaction involving an alcoholic beverage will be saved in a CSV format with the following columns:
Transaction ID
Date & Time of Transaction
Last 4 Digits of Card
Purchaser’s Last Name
Banking Institution
Drink Count (for the current 24-hour period)
POS Location (Restaurant/Bar Name)
Employee ID (Server or Bartender)
Time Remaining in Current 24-hour Window
CSV File Format and Management
The CSV files are saved and maintained on the local POS system for 90 days.
Files are automatically indexed by date and location to allow for efficient searching and auditing.
Search Functionality
The CSV file can be searched by:
Last 4 digits of the card
Last name
Date range
This will allow management or auditors to quickly retrieve data about a specific individual’s alcohol purchases over the last 90 days.
5. Automatic Emailing for Verification
Automated Email System
Scheduled Emailing: The system will automatically email a copy of the CSV log every 24 hours to the designated managing party (e.g., the restaurant/bar manager or a third-party alcohol compliance officer).
Recipients: The recipient of the email must be a party responsible for verifying compliance with alcohol service regulations. The email will contain the CSV log for that day, detailing every alcoholic transaction within the establishment.
Backup: A cloud-based backup can be configured to store an additional copy of the CSV log for verification and auditing purposes.
Data Security
Encryption: All transaction data stored locally or transmitted via email will be encrypted to ensure customer privacy.
Access Control: Only authorized personnel will be able to access the CSV logs and search the transaction data. Administrative rights will be required for manual export or modification of the data.
6. Compliance and Accountability
Compliance Verification
The managing party receiving the automated email can cross-check the CSV logs to ensure compliance with the following:
No more than 7 drinks purchased on a single card within a 24-hour period.
Proper enforcement of the 8-hour waiting period between 24-hour windows.
In case of any non-compliance, the managing party can take appropriate corrective actions, such as employee retraining or POS system adjustments.
Accountability Features
Time-stamped records ensure that every alcohol purchase is logged with accurate timing.
Employee identification linked to each transaction makes it easy to trace back any issues to the responsible server or bartender.
Summary of Key Features
Real-time tracking of alcoholic beverage purchases with a 5-drink limit per cardholder within a 24-hour period.
Enforced 8-hour gap before new purchases can be made after reaching the limit.
Data collection of the last 4 digits of the card, last name, and banking institution stored in a searchable CSV file.
90-day storage of CSV logs on the POS system.
Automated email to the managing party for verification and compliance review.
Encryption and access control to safeguard customer data.
This system aims to foster responsible alcohol consumption while protecting establishments from liability, ensuring a safer, more regulated environment.
Once the system is implemented as a statewide requirement for all businesses selling alcohol, it will automatically monitor alcohol purchases across South Carolina. The system tracks each card used and enforces a five-drink limit within a 24-hour period, regardless of where the purchases are made. Once a card reaches the allotted limit, the system will automatically refuse further alcohol purchases on that card at any establishment across the state, ensuring compliance without requiring manual checks.
The formula commonly used to estimate the amount of alcohol a person can safely consume based on their body weight is related to Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). BAC measures the concentration of alcohol in the bloodstream, typically represented as a percentage.
The Widmark Formula is commonly used for these estimations. The formula considers several factors including body weight, the amount of alcohol consumed, and the alcohol’s distribution in the body. It assumes that alcohol distributes more in body water, and men and women generally have different body water percentages, which affects BAC.
BAC=Alcohol Consumed (grams)Body Weight (grams)×r×100−β×timeBAC = \frac{{\text{Alcohol Consumed (grams)}}}{{\text{Body Weight (grams)} \times r}} \times 100 - \beta \times \text{time}BAC=Body Weight (grams)×rAlcohol Consumed (grams)×100−β×time
Where:
To calculate BAC after consuming alcohol, the formula also needs the amount of alcohol in a drink:
Let's say a man weighing 160 pounds (72.5 kg) consumes three standard drinks (42 grams of alcohol). We use the Widmark formula to estimate his BAC:
BAC=4272500×0.68×100=0.0866 or 0.087%BAC = \frac{{42}}{72500 \times 0.68} \times 100 = 0.0866 \, \text{or} \, 0.087\%BAC=72500×0.6842×100=0.0866or0.087%
This man's BAC would be approximately 0.087% if no time had passed for metabolization.
These charts are simplified estimates and do not account for the time alcohol metabolizes in the body, which lowers BAC over time.
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