Drink Driving

[Hullfox]

Seemingly supporting the woman who drove over the limit but didn't have an accident

I thought I'd read it all from you but now you take the biscuit.

Condemn the law and condone drink driving as much as you want but if this law saves innocent people from being killed I for one am all for it.

If you're happy for people to drive drunk, then sleep well because somewhere tonight, someone will lose a loved one through one of these idiots;

[Craig]

No matter what Thrac says...

Drinking a certain amount of alcohol, and driving whilst having consumed that amount, is ILLEGAL; Accident or not.

The accident your son had was a blessing in disguise, it gets one more drink driver off of our roads safely.

[Thracian]

I thought I'd read it all from you but now you take the biscuit.

Condemn the law and condone drink driving as much as you want but if this law saves innocent people from being killed I for one am all for it.

If you're happy for people to drive drunk, then sleep well because somewhere tonight, someone will lose a loved one through one of these idiots;

There are exceptions but I'm wary of any law which punishes people for potential crime rather than actual crime.

It's a good job we don't run Switzerland. We'd have to arrest everyone there for owning a gun and all the potential that presents for potential deaths.

Not all accidents are drink related and not all accidents involving over-the-limit drivers are necessarily caused by drink either.

Legal decisions should be based on what happened not on pre-conceived generalisations.

It is well known that different people have different tolerance to drink anyway so to suggest I am somehow happy for people to drive-drunk is to totally misrepresent what I've said. I don't think anyone should drive drunk but there is usually a big gap between the capabilities of someone after two pints and someone who's drunk.

My wife is a singularly lawful person who wouldn't drive after a drop of alcohol anyway. But quite apart from the law she's simply not safe yet would happily drive with me after I'd consumed, say, a couple of pints. I'd be driving slower anyway.

And after all these anti-drink-driving campaigns and oppressive drink-driving laws which have had serious consequences on a whole lot of pubs and publicans I don't see all those previously wasted lives being saved. Stacks of people are still dying on the roads.

Indeed statistics from the Audit Commission suggest road casualties have remained constant over the last 10 years but if you and the Government are sincere about reducing casualties the answers are simple and it doesn't involve convicting people for doing nothing more than disobey misguided legislation...

The answer is to slow all road traffic in built up areas, to have more one-way systems and to have slower cars generally. Things which would have considerable benefit anyhow.

Why any road car should be capable of more than 70mph I don't know with the law being as it is.

On a broader, more long-term basis, cars should be made of lighter and with more malleable materials.

Together that would cut road deaths, no problem. And it would help the environment, at least so I understand.

l

[Thracian]

No matter what Thrac says...

Drinking a certain amount of alcohol, and driving whilst having consumed that amount, is ILLEGAL; Accident or not.

The accident your son had was a blessing in disguise, it gets one more drink driver off of our roads safely.

To me it was a total injustice. The danger was caused by my son - who entirely admitted it - not by the girl.

[Hullfox]

To me it was a total injustice. The danger was caused by my son - who entirely admitted it - not by the girl.

So to clarify, a woman who was caught drink driving and punished for doing so is the victim?

[Alexikokopops]

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.

My mate's Venezualan and ended up getting caught in a car chase with people pretending to be police to try and car jack them.

They were shooting at each other and everything.

More exciting them bloody Lincoln.

[Thracian]

So to clarify, a woman who was caught drink driving and punished for doing so is the victim?

In those circumstances, no question. That wasn't justice in relation to the events at all.

The legal profession makes much of precedents and while the Metropolitan Police Chief continues to walk around with what should be an innocent man's indefensible killing on his conscience a woman who was driving perfectly normally became a victim of circumstances and got punished.

If that's your kind of justice your welcome. But it's no mine.

[Hullfox]

So to clarify, a woman who was caught drink driving and punished for doing so is the victim?

In those circumstances, no question.

Thracian - Champion of the Drink Driver

[Rincewind]

There has to be a set guideline on the limit of alcohol permitted. Even though other things can cause accidents. Ie. bad driving, tiedness and distractions. Alcohol also affects different people in different ways. It could depend on your weight/build or what you have eaten or drank (non-acolholic). But all these things are inconclusive when looking at the causes of an accident. It is a fact though that[ alcohol slows reaction time down and without a set limit that everyone is aware of before setting out on a jouney there would be mass confusion and a lot of potentially repeat over-limit drivers would be free to put lives in danger on their next drinking session thinking that they were immune from prosecution.

That woman knew that there was a limit and knew if in an accident she would be breath tested and proved positive and recive a fine and/or a ban as a result, so should have no complaints

I don't drive myself and am reluctant to learn now at my age. If I did drive I would have reconsider my drinking habits. I would not be certain of myself even after one drink, and that doubt prevents me from learning. Others it appears think that they are super-beings and are not affected by alcohol like most people. THEY ARE WRONG. That is why a limit has to be applied and adhered to.

[Bert]

Personally, i don't think that there should be a "limit".

If you're going to drive - don't drink. Walking or taxi-ing is much less painful than prison or taking someone else's life.

[blue blood]

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.

So Mr T,

What are you exactly doing to save the world?

I guess my message to try and stop 1 person drink driving has been lost by the 'putting into perspective' as per above. Cheers Mr T.

[Thracian]

Thracian - Champion of the Drink Driver

Not at all. You are just trying to put that message across to discredit the points I've made.

I've never remotely sanctioned what I, rather than you, would call drink-driving. But catch-all lawmaking is nonsense and certainly shouldn't apply to people who've been caught for doing nothing untoward at all.

But I'll argue no more. It's Christmas and it is clear your mind is made up anyway.

[Craig]

Not at all. You are just trying to put that message across to discredit the points I've made.

I've never remotely sanctioned what I, rather than you, would call drink-driving. But catch-all lawmaking is nonsense and certainly shouldn't apply to people who've been caught for doing nothing untoward at all.

But I'll argue no more. It's Christmas and it is clear your mind is made up anyway.

If you drink, and drive... you should be prepare to face the consequences when you get caught, no matter how you get caught.

She got caught just as she would have got caught if she'd have been pulled over by the police.

End of story.

[cisono]

Not much chance of me drink driving today:

1) I didn't drive (was a mostly sleepy passenger instead)

2) I forgot to drink

[DB11]

Not much chance of me drink driving today:

1) I didn't drive (was a mostly sleepy passenger instead)

2) I forgot to drink

[Thracian]

So Mr T,

What are you exactly doing to save the world?

I guess my message to try and stop 1 person drink driving has been lost by the 'putting into perspective' as per above. Cheers Mr T.

Don't be so gloomy. You are all but overwhelmed with support.

As for saving the world, well I've mentioned some practical ways of genuinely cutting the casualty rates on roads and there's another one too...how about clamping down on all the head cases who tear past me when I'm driving at a lawful top speed of 70mph on motorways?

That would not only cut casualities but would save huge amounts of harmful emissions being pumped into the atmosphere from hundreds of motorists stacked up in queues for ages as they wait for the accidents to clear.

[jaffa1970]

Blue Blood

Glad to hear that you are ok. Hopefully the law severely punishes the fool that was driving the other vehicle. Having attended road accidents for 8 yrs and informed people of the deaths of friends and family due to road accidents, drink driving etc I totally understand where you are coming from.

[Hullfox]

Another hijacked thread methinks.

[jaffa1970]

Hijacked by whom?..and for what purpose?

[DB11]

Hijacked by whom?..and for what purpose?

Hijacked by Thracian saying a drink driver got punished when a crash wasn't their fault methinks.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

I went to school with a two blokes they decided to drive home after a night drinking they crashed and killed the solo occupant of the on comeing car, and the passenger died, The driver who latter got sentenced to 2 1/2 years jail i worked with him about 6 months before he was due to go to jail and 18 months after the incident and one morning he rocked up to work still under the influence of drugs and drinking and after he openly addmitted that he always drinks and drives i almost killed him there was just a lack of remorse and it just showed some people just never learn there lessons. I latter left that job knowing that dick heads like that we respected at that work place.

[Hullfox]

Hijacked by whom?..and for what purpose?

Read the thread or if you find that difficult read Blue Blood's initial post then Thracian's rants.

[jaffa1970]

Hullfox

Ease up...I tend not to read a few of Thracians posts as they tend to waffle into the ridiculous.

This seems to be another case in point.

[Hullfox]

Hullfox

Ease up...I tend not to read a few of Thracians posts as they tend to waffle into the ridiculous.

This seems to be another case in point.

Sorry, eased up now.......

[Guest]

I cannot believe what I have just read. It beggars belief.