Drink Driving

[blue blood]

All,

Today i woke up in the morning. I had a nice family breakfast and helped the family tidy the house up. Then i had a jam on my guitar and played pro evo for a while. We always play football at goals on sundays so off we went. I had a top game today and even scored some corkers.

On the way back home i gave my friend a lift. I was about 2 mins away from home when i saw this light flash infront of my eyes. I instinctivly slammed on the breaks as my mate shouted in a really scary voice. The next thing i remember was a big bang and the airbage being deployed. I saw my bonet flip up and remember thinking I dont wanna go today ive got things i need to do. It was Scary.

When i realised i had a crash i again instinctly checked if i still had my arms and legs - i did, and so did my mate.

What happened was a car on the other side of the road was going too fast and lost it. They ended up coming head on into us. Im sure u can imagine the mess.

To make matters worse his passanger was wearing no seatbelt and went throgh the windscreen - it was messy. The driver got out of the a few mins later. As soon as he saw the blue lights he made off on foot, I gave chase for a min or 2 but then gave up.

The police came and searched the area, they got the dogs out and found the guy in a near by park.

I dont think i would be here to tell you this story if he was going 5 MPH faster.

I dont think his passanger has made it and when i was in hospital the police came in with the other driver, for some wierd reason he was sat next to me with a police officer.

Then all became clear i could smell the alcohol bigtime. I was ready to rip this mans face off, if the police was not there i would have done so.

He has ruined his life his pssangers life which hurts but what right does he have to dsstroy mt life too?

I swear if i ever cross paths with a drink driver i will be held responsible for my actions 100%

Just think about it. If u dont u got it coming to you.

[Foxhateram]

All,

Today i woke up in the morning. I had a nice family breakfast and helped the family tidy the house up. Then i had a jam on my guitar and played pro evo for a while. We always play football at goals on sundays so off we went. I had a top game today and even scored some corkers.

On the way back home i gave my friend a lift. I was about 2 mins away from home when i saw this light flash infront of my eyes. I instinctivly slammed on the breaks as my mate shouted in a really scary voice. The next thing i remember was a big bang and the airbage being deployed. I saw my bonet flip up and remember thinking I dont wanna go today ive got things i need to do. It was Scary.

When i realised i had a crash i again instinctly checked if i still had my arms and legs - i did, and so did my mate.

What happened was a car on the other side of the road was going too fast and lost it. They ended up coming head on into us. Im sure u can imagine the mess.

To make matters worse his passanger was wearing no seatbelt and went throgh the windscreen - it was messy. The driver got out of the a few mins later. As soon as he saw the blue lights he made off on foot, I gave chase for a min or 2 but then gave up.

The police came and searched the area, they got the dogs out and found the guy in a near by park.

I dont think i would be here to tell you this story if he was going 5 MPH faster.

I dont think his passanger has made it and when i was in hospital the police came in with the other driver, for some wierd reason he was sat next to me with a police officer.

Then all became clear i could smell the alcohol bigtime. I was ready to rip this mans face off, if the police was not there i would have done so.

He has ruined his life his pssangers life which hurts but what right does he have to dsstroy mt life too?

I swear if i ever cross paths with a drink driver i will be held responsible for my actions 100%

Just think about it. If u dont u got it coming to you.

Glad to hear you are ok mate. and i hope the injuries that you sustained if tehre were any clear up soon. Radiculous if i ever catch anyone drink driving i actually will well i dont know what id do but it annoys me so much! My friend died in a car crash because his brother was drink driving with him in the car. My mate was 10 years of age, 10 ffs had his whole life infront of him!! he was a talented football player aswell. Ypur story bought a tear to my eye, and reminded me of Kurt. Im glad you came out the otehr side alive, i feel sory for the guy who was in the car with him, a life wasted on a crash that could easily of not happened if the driver ahd just used his brain and ordered a taxi! radiculous!

[Bert]

All,

Today i woke up in the morning. I had a nice family breakfast and helped the family tidy the house up. Then i had a jam on my guitar and played pro evo for a while. We always play football at goals on sundays so off we went. I had a top game today and even scored some corkers.

On the way back home i gave my friend a lift. I was about 2 mins away from home when i saw this light flash infront of my eyes. I instinctivly slammed on the breaks as my mate shouted in a really scary voice. The next thing i remember was a big bang and the airbage being deployed. I saw my bonet flip up and remember thinking I dont wanna go today ive got things i need to do. It was Scary.

When i realised i had a crash i again instinctly checked if i still had my arms and legs - i did, and so did my mate.

What happened was a car on the other side of the road was going too fast and lost it. They ended up coming head on into us. Im sure u can imagine the mess.

To make matters worse his passanger was wearing no seatbelt and went throgh the windscreen - it was messy. The driver got out of the a few mins later. As soon as he saw the blue lights he made off on foot, I gave chase for a min or 2 but then gave up.

The police came and searched the area, they got the dogs out and found the guy in a near by park.

I dont think i would be here to tell you this story if he was going 5 MPH faster.

I dont think his passanger has made it and when i was in hospital the police came in with the other driver, for some wierd reason he was sat next to me with a police officer.

Then all became clear i could smell the alcohol bigtime. I was ready to rip this mans face off, if the police was not there i would have done so.

He has ruined his life his pssangers life which hurts but what right does he have to dsstroy mt life too?

I swear if i ever cross paths with a drink driver i will be held responsible for my actions 100%

Just think about it. If u dont u got it coming to you.

Shit. Glad to hear your ok though, but this can be a traumatic time. I really hate people that drink and drive, it's just plain foolishness, and to not be wearing a seatbelt either, well that's just taking it to a whole new level.

Try not to let this ruin your christmas mate.

[Unit]

My auntie was in a similar incident a few years ago, can i just say, if the person has died, DON'T feel it was your fault, it'll eat away at you if you think it was when you're totally not to blame.

[cisono]

Perhaps they should really bring in those cars (or car devices)

that won't drive (or allow driving off) when they detect you've been drinking!!!

[WetFlannel]

Whilst we are on the topic of potential life threateners, i was in a store with my mate and all of a sudden this man comes in you could clearly see something was wrong. He kept twitching and looked nervy, and kept his hands in his pockets. He just stood there staring at everyone walking past, and he had a very creepy appearance. I just stood there watching him, and then 6 police officers burst in the shop. He was immediately searched and then out of his pocket came a huge knife... It certainly put in perspective what idiots can surround us, even just 10 yards away like today in a simple local place...

[Alexikokopops]

Shit me, that's not ideal.

Hope you're ok boss.

On the subject of drink driving check out Scotland's latest plan to try and cut it down

[blue blood]

all,

Thanks for all your kind words.

Even if the message only stops 1 person drink driving then its worth it. That will be families saved from the torture that it brings.

Live for today cos tomorrow may never come.

Peace Out.

[Asha]

all,

Thanks for all your kind words.

Even if the message only stops 1 person drink driving then its worth it. That will be families saved from the torture that it brings.

Live for today cos tomorrow may never come.

Peace Out.

Even in your case, your family could have had to have christmas without you because some pr*ck bastard couldn't control himself.

[Bryn]

This is exactly why I don't take any chances with drivers, see the Kee thread. I don't care if I generalise, the only person I trust on the road is myself. Everyone else I treat with 100% distrust. I know the amount of bad drivers on the road is tiny but I don't care, I'm wary of every other car. Because there are dicks who do shit like this. Anyone who drink drives should be treated as someone who commits attempted murder. Zero tolerance for this.

[Simi]

Shit me, that's not ideal.

Hope you're ok boss.

On the subject of drink driving check out Scotland's latest plan to try and cut it down

I'm amazed at the random stories you post on here.

Sorry to hear about that blue blood, can't of been nice. Glad you're ok though. Hope it doesn't spoil your Christmas.

[blue blood]

This is exactly why I don't take any chances with drivers, see the Kee thread. I don't care if I generalise, the only person I trust on the road is myself. Everyone else I treat with 100% distrust. I know the amount of bad drivers on the road is tiny but I don't care, I'm wary of every other car. Because there are dicks who do shit like this. Anyone who drink drives should be treated as someone who commits attempted murder. Zero tolerance for this.

I can relate to what you are saying.

the thing is i really dont think drink drivers will listen till it happens to them. It will happen to them and then they will learn. Its a shame they dont listen in the first place.

[Thracian]

All,

Today i woke up in the morning. I had a nice family breakfast and helped the family tidy the house up. Then i had a jam on my guitar and played pro evo for a while. We always play football at goals on sundays so off we went. I had a top game today and even scored some corkers.

On the way back home i gave my friend a lift. I was about 2 mins away from home when i saw this light flash infront of my eyes. I instinctivly slammed on the breaks as my mate shouted in a really scary voice. The next thing i remember was a big bang and the airbage being deployed. I saw my bonet flip up and remember thinking I dont wanna go today ive got things i need to do. It was Scary.

When i realised i had a crash i again instinctly checked if i still had my arms and legs - i did, and so did my mate.

What happened was a car on the other side of the road was going too fast and lost it. They ended up coming head on into us. Im sure u can imagine the mess.

To make matters worse his passanger was wearing no seatbelt and went throgh the windscreen - it was messy. The driver got out of the a few mins later. As soon as he saw the blue lights he made off on foot, I gave chase for a min or 2 but then gave up.

The police came and searched the area, they got the dogs out and found the guy in a near by park.

I dont think i would be here to tell you this story if he was going 5 MPH faster.

I dont think his passanger has made it and when i was in hospital the police came in with the other driver, for some wierd reason he was sat next to me with a police officer.

Then all became clear i could smell the alcohol bigtime. I was ready to rip this mans face off, if the police was not there i would have done so.

He has ruined his life his pssangers life which hurts but what right does he have to dsstroy mt life too?

I swear if i ever cross paths with a drink driver i will be held responsible for my actions 100%

Just think about it. If u dont u got it coming to you.

I sympathise but just a question. If the guy had been sober would you have felt the same?

Cos my oldest son was involved in an accident when at University in Sheffield. He was on an unfamiliar road at night and misjudged a bend. He careered over to the other side of the road into a woman driver coming the other way.

Both cars were severely damaged but by great good fortune no-one was hurt.

However, my son was sober and the girl had been drinking.

Yet despite my son writing a letter to the court accepting full responsibility for the accident, he got a small fine for driving without due care and attention and the woman was banned for a year and suffered a vicious fine for being slightly over the limit.

[Hullfox]

I sympathise but just a question. If the guy had been sober would you have felt the same?

Cos my oldest son was involved in an accident when at University in Sheffield. He was on an unfamiliar road at night and misjudged a bend. He careered over to the other side of the road into a woman driver coming the other way.

Both cars were severely damaged but by great good fortune no-one was hurt.

However, my son was sober and the girl had been drinking.

Yet despite my son writing a letter to the court accepting full responsibility for the accident, he got a small fine for driving without due care and attention and the woman was banned for a year and suffered a vicious fine for being slightly over the limit.

She deserves it.

Just because she was not at fault for that particular incident, her reactions and judgement would have been impaired and she could have caused an accident.

Whatever the monetary amount involved, the fine was not vicious.

[blue blood]

I sympathise but just a question. If the guy had been sober would you have felt the same?

Cos my oldest son was involved in an accident when at University in Sheffield. He was on an unfamiliar road at night and misjudged a bend. He careered over to the other side of the road into a woman driver coming the other way.

Both cars were severely damaged but by great good fortune no-one was hurt.

However, my son was sober and the girl had been drinking.

Yet despite my son writing a letter to the court accepting full responsibility for the accident, he got a small fine for driving without due care and attention and the woman was banned for a year and suffered a vicious fine for being slightly over the limit.

Mr T,

After the accident happened and i had checked i was ok i jumped out of the car and i saw liquid leaking out of the front so my gut instinct was to kill my engine, also i urged the people in the other car to cut their engine too.

The guy that went into the wind screen i helped. ive got some first aid skills and a first aid bag in the car so i helped him the best i could.

the driver got out a short while later, i tried to talk to him and see if he wanted any help - he just ran off.

I actually did not know they were drunk until i saw the driver in hospital and could smell it a mile off. I knew something was wrong because he ran off.

When i smelt the booze i felt pure rage, the question that went through my mind was 'What the hell gave him the right to decide on my behalf he was gonna drink and then smash into me?'

Up until that point i had accepted that the driver made a mistake and lost it. There is a big difference between the two.

If the guy was sober i think i would be feeling very litle anger towards him.

I think in your sons case the police would have had influence on the outocme of the case. I see exactly where you are coming from and if it was a genuine mistake i could accept it but not if the other person swerves out of their lane on a straight in a 30 mph zone.

[Jay]

She deserves it.

Just because she was not at fault for that particular incident, her reactions and judgement would have been impaired and she could have caused an accident.

Whatever the monetary amount involved, the fine was not vicious.

Have to agree no matter how much over the limit she was, she was still over the limit you can't have any tolerance whatsoever on drink drivers and it's plain stupid to suggest that just because she didn't cause an accident she should have been let off!!!

if she got let off then she may have carried on and ended up killing someone!!

[James.]

Yet despite my son writing a letter to the court accepting full responsibility for the accident, he got a small fine for driving without due care and attention and the woman was banned for a year and suffered a vicious fine for being slightly over the limit.

Maybe now in the knowledge that a "vicious" fine awaits her she might think twice about driving drunk. As such the law worked and she deserved punishment.

[Thracian]

She deserves it.

Just because she was not at fault for that particular incident, her reactions and judgement would have been impaired and she could have caused an accident.

Whatever the monetary amount involved, the fine was not vicious.

She was not at fault for any accident as far as I know.

Also, by your way of looking at things, anyone who's over the limit COULD cause an argument in the street which COULD easily lead to serious physical violence and damage both to people and property.

And anyone at work who has had a drink COULD make a costly mistake and COULD cost the firm a lot of money.

Therefore, in both cases I presume you'd say they deserve to be arrested and face the consequences.

How far do you take the idea of COULD in respect of being branded a criminal?

Because as a driver on our roads every day I am forever coming across perfectly sober people driving so badly that they COULD and probably will cause an accident. Yet nobody seeks to hound them and put them in court.

In the case which prompted this debate there seems no doubt that a drunken individual has committed a crime.

But when you start judging people and punishing people on the basis of what could happen I think you're on very thin ground and it is not long before, as in my son's case, so-called justice is hardly fitting to the situation.

And it is not use citing the fact that the law is the law.

We all know the law applies in different degreees according to who you are, who you know and how much money you have.

Indeed I have personal experience of the law being seriously bent because offences I committed were in a car borrowed from a policeman. Yes it was a long time ago but nothing much has changed.

The Chief of the Met is still walking free - and doing his job - after a totally innocent man was killed with multiple shots for no reason whatsoever during his watch.

Justice? Sorry, but just like the penalty we got against us as Ipswich, it's just a laugh and a lottery.

[Webbo]

She was not at fault for any accident as far as I know.

Also, by your way of looking at things, anyone who's over the limit COULD cause an argument in the street which COULD easily lead to serious physical violence and damage both to people and property.

And anyone at work who has had a drink COULD make a costly mistake and COULD cost the firm a lot of money.

Therefore, in both cases I presume you'd say they deserve to be arrested and face the consequences.

How far do you take the idea of COULD in respect of being branded a criminal?

Because as a driver on our roads every day I am forever coming across perfectly sober people driving so badly that they COULD and probably will cause an accident. Yet nobody seeks to hound them and put them in court.

In the case which prompted this debate there seems no doubt that a drunken individual has committed a crime.

But when you start judging people and punishing people on the basis of what could happen I think you're on very thin ground and it is not long before, as in my son's case, so-called justice is hardly fitting to the situation.

And it is not use citing the fact that the law is the law.

We all know the law applies in different degreees according to who you are, who you know and how much money you have.

Indeed I have personal experience of the law being seriously bent because offences I committed were in a car borrowed from a policeman. Yes it was a long time ago but nothing much has changed.

The Chief of the Met is still walking free - and doing his job - after a totally innocent man was killed with multiple shots for no reason whatsoever during his watch.

Justice? Sorry, but just like the penalty we got against us as Ipswich, it's just a laugh and a lottery.

Sorry Thrac but I've got to side with the others here, if she was over the limit she got what she deserved.

[Daggers]

There's no drink driving law in Venezuela - or, if there is then no one bothers with it.

On any given moment in Caracas people behind the wheel are drunk or on their way to getting drunk. This being the case, the incidence of crashes on the road is very low with correlation to death being insignificant. Where you do see alcohol and driving ending in death is outside of the cities where Venezuelans can get a decent speed up.

The problem with drink-driving is with people going to fast. Caraceñas factor this into their driving back from the bar or meal without creating a wave of death on the journey home.

I don't drink-drive here but I did in South America; I wasn't paralytic - and this is the other attributable factor. People here abuse alcohol to an extent that they aren't safe walking on a pavement let alone putting them behind the wheel of a car.

[blue blood]

She was not at fault for any accident as far as I know.

Also, by your way of looking at things, anyone who's over the limit COULD cause an argument in the street which COULD easily lead to serious physical violence and damage both to people and property.

And anyone at work who has had a drink COULD make a costly mistake and COULD cost the firm a lot of money.

Therefore, in both cases I presume you'd say they deserve to be arrested and face the consequences.

How far do you take the idea of COULD in respect of being branded a criminal?

Because as a driver on our roads every day I am forever coming across perfectly sober people driving so badly that they COULD and probably will cause an accident. Yet nobody seeks to hound them and put them in court.

In the case which prompted this debate there seems no doubt that a drunken individual has committed a crime.

But when you start judging people and punishing people on the basis of what could happen I think you're on very thin ground and it is not long before, as in my son's case, so-called justice is hardly fitting to the situation.

And it is not use citing the fact that the law is the law.

We all know the law applies in different degreees according to who you are, who you know and how much money you have.

Indeed I have personal experience of the law being seriously bent because offences I committed were in a car borrowed from a policeman. Yes it was a long time ago but nothing much has changed.

The Chief of the Met is still walking free - and doing his job - after a totally innocent man was killed with multiple shots for no reason whatsoever during his watch.

Justice? Sorry, but just like the penalty we got against us as Ipswich, it's just a laugh and a lottery.

You can put a value on monetary loss at work, try putting a value on a dead persons life. If some one wants to drink and drive that is just slightly different to being a bad driver mate, just slightly different.

People think it wont happen to them, they wont get cought. Ever thought what it is like being the victim? having no choice in the matter? Hmm.

I have seen how a DRUNK DRIVER can loose it in a straight line. I will never drink and drive or be in a car where a driver has had a drink - no matter how strong the peer pressure. People will have to learn through their own experiences.

[Bryn]

She was not at fault for any accident as far as I know.

Also, by your way of looking at things, anyone who's over the limit COULD cause an argument in the street which COULD easily lead to serious physical violence and damage both to people and property.

And anyone at work who has had a drink COULD make a costly mistake and COULD cost the firm a lot of money.

Therefore, in both cases I presume you'd say they deserve to be arrested and face the consequences.

How far do you take the idea of COULD in respect of being branded a criminal?

Because as a driver on our roads every day I am forever coming across perfectly sober people driving so badly that they COULD and probably will cause an accident. Yet nobody seeks to hound them and put them in court.

In the case which prompted this debate there seems no doubt that a drunken individual has committed a crime.

But when you start judging people and punishing people on the basis of what could happen I think you're on very thin ground and it is not long before, as in my son's case, so-called justice is hardly fitting to the situation.

And it is not use citing the fact that the law is the law.

We all know the law applies in different degreees according to who you are, who you know and how much money you have.

Indeed I have personal experience of the law being seriously bent because offences I committed were in a car borrowed from a policeman. Yes it was a long time ago but nothing much has changed.

The Chief of the Met is still walking free - and doing his job - after a totally innocent man was killed with multiple shots for no reason whatsoever during his watch.

Justice? Sorry, but just like the penalty we got against us as Ipswich, it's just a laugh and a lottery.

Entirely besides the point as ever.

[Daggers]

People think it wont happen to them, they wont get cought. Ever thought what it is like being the victim? having no choice in the matter? Hmm.

But cars kill, drink or no.

The majority of drivers on the road are shit and have no comprehension about how to drive within their limits and the conditions. People rage on about drink as if it is on an equivalence with paedophilia - it isn't. Mobile phones, sleep deprivation and driving like a dick kills people too and yet these hardly register as a flicker on people's rage meters.

Yes it is wrong to drive without being in control of the vehicle, but the response to "drink driving" is disproportionate to its risk comparable to other causes, in my opinion.

[cisono]

But cars kill, drink or no.

The majority of drivers on the road are shit and have no comprehension about how to drive within their limits and the conditions. People rage on about drink as if it is on an equivalence with paedophilia - it isn't. Mobile phones, sleep deprivation and driving like a dick kills people too and yet these hardly register as a flicker on people's rage meters.

Yes it is wrong to drive without being in control of the vehicle, but the response to "drink driving" is disproportionate to its risk comparable to other causes, in my opinion.

You forgot about smoking.

"A ... study by Spanish researchers suggested smokers are twice as likely to have a car accident as non-smokers. Transport chiefs believe drivers taking their eyes off the road while finding and lighting cigarettes are responsible for killing and injuring hundreds of people a year."

source: http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=722002006

They forgot to mention "disposing" of the butt (generally unsafely by throwing it - or attempting to throw it - out of the window). And the smoking urge! Smokers feeling the urge to smoke but trying to put it off because of current regulations may experience an inability to concentrate effectively on the task of driving.

(my speculations entirely...)

And about car colour...

Some insurers have found that if you have a red car you're more likely to be involved in an accident. Possibly because more show-offs use red cars, so these drivers are more likely to put their right-foot down.

Some insurers find black cars are more likely to be involved in incidents at night. At least one insurer has found that green cars are more likely to be involved in accidents if you live in the country, because they're camouflaged! You can't see the cars for the trees. White cars would therefore seem to have fewer accidents.

No I still don't get it.

While I can understand this is the season to be jolly and to have a few drinks and I can also understand how tempting it is to drive home after "just that one drink", I do believe drinking affects us more than we realise. If nothing else, the problem with drinking is that it affects you all the way home, not just for part of it, though I have seen many drivers staying on their mobiles for a very long time (having noticed only because of their repeated failure to signal and their slow reaction times or dangerous manoeuvres).

Chances are, in general, "drink drivers" are more likely to overestimate how well they are driving and how good their reaction times are than someone on a mobile phone/someone smoking/having a conversation with a car passenger/tuning their radio. This does not mean that the latter groups do not have accidents. They obviously do, but "drink drivers" probably have more serious accidents than the other categories, and the latter are more likely to recover from a split second disattention with fewer/lighter consequences.

The worst ever would be someone drink driving while smoking and having a conversation on a mobile phone

[Thracian]

You can put a value on monetary loss at work, try putting a value on a dead persons life. If some one wants to drink and drive that is just slightly different to being a bad driver mate, just slightly different.

People think it wont happen to them, they wont get cought. Ever thought what it is like being the victim? having no choice in the matter? Hmm.

I have seen how a DRUNK DRIVER can loose it in a straight line. I will never drink and drive or be in a car where a driver has had a drink - no matter how strong the peer pressure. People will have to learn through their own experiences.

Depends on the conseqences of the drink-driving and of the bad driving.

Where have I sought to defend anyone who's caused death by drunk driving. It wasn't me who let that footballer out of prison this year.

Been my choice he'd have stayed behind bars until his victims recovered, including the dead ones!

But that incident of causing death while driving happened. And it's totally different situation from punishing people for things that didn't happen or for something that someone says may have happened. Or for events which they weren't in any way responsible for.

If the authorities are sincere about cutting down on unnecessary deaths why don't they start with the important and dramatically productive life-saving exercises instead? Why don't they set a real ground-breaking example and ban war?

Surely all those armoured cars and fighter aircraft are a damn site more lethal than any drunk-driver with a car. So set an example, ban em and then try to get every other country to do the same.

And why not ban the production of all lethal weapons while we're at it. What the hell might they do if used in anger?

Why piss about with things like drink-driving and ruin my night's out? The hypocrisy is mind-blowing.

People say put yourself in the shoes of drink-driving victim's family. Well I wouldn't necessarily feel any different were the driver over the limit or sober. I'd quite likely be equally distraught either way.

But while we're "imagining" try being a family in Iraq that's just been blasted all but out of existence. Or the family of that Brazilian shot in London. Oh yes, someone will come on and say that's different but it isn't. It's men let loose with killing machines. It's no sodding different at all.

As for who you take your drives with, that's your choice.

But if you'd sooner have a lift with my sober former shorthand teacher than me you're welcome pal.

Cos I'd rather do the Cresta Run blindfold than I'd ever drive 100 metres on an empty road with her.

Talk about lethal.