djmisio85

Some interesting opinions.

For those in the countryside, with no transport, I also live in the middle of the Japanese mountain, one of Japans smallest villages to be precise, with a population of just over 1,600 people. Obviously no pubs within at least 15 kms....

They have a system here called "Daiko" where you drive to the bar, and then when you go home, someone else drives your car, and another car also follows you. Then you get home, and the driver gets into the car that followed you and goes home.....

Also, thank God I havnt experienced anything bad with alcohol, BUT, for all those saying its ok to have a drink, im sure a pint (or 5 as someone said) would slow down your reactions a little bit. Imagine then if (God forbid) you or a member of your family was involved in an accident with a "drink driver" injuring or even killing them.....

BTW, what would happen if someone who was under the limit, but still had a little to drink, if they were involved in an accident?

And lastly, yes, there are people who can drink more than others, but like someone said, give someone and inch, and theyll take a mile... the reason we have laws is to put a limit to people judgements..... like speeding, one might think they will be safe at 100mph because they own a good car, but get a puncture at 100mph..... 70mph would be a very different story..

PeteBrant

We have a similar system here called "Theft". You drive to the pub, You go home, someone else drives your car, and you never see it again

Leslie

Alcohol affects some people differently to others. I personally think that you shouuld not drink anything if you are going to be driving and then there can't be any mistake about whether you are fit to drive or not.

Les

djmisio85

LOL

going back to what I wrote before...
I did though have a mate back when I was younger, lived up the road from me, one night he went out, took some of my neighbours with him, altho it wasnt alcohol, he took some recreational drugs. When coming home, he was literally a mile away from home, some animal ran out in the middle of the road (a cat or rabbit) he swerved, couldnt control the car, crashed, and died
Maybe (a big maybe) if he wasnt stoned, he would have soon realised, I have passengers, its just an animal, bumpers can be replaced, and just gone straight over the animal.

I had a similar incident a few months ago, driving home late at night, very dark, but other cars around, animal jumps out, I didnt even flinch, just went straight over it (have a rally style sump guard is a God send )

Spoon

Been there and it hurts so my thoughts on drink driving are obviously biased.

Wouldn't it be nice if the far too many diabolical 'sober' drivers on the road were looked at too. Unfortunately thats not going to happen for fear of alienating 'decent' people, however appalling their driving standards are.

Markus

It's an interesting question, that's for sure. What I'm curious about is what the infrastructure is like in countries that have a ban on drinking and driving. By this I mean, is there a decent public transit network, or affordable cab service, or the aforementioned "you drive to pub, someone else drives your car back" type setups.

djmisio85

Oh yeah, I forgot to add, since I started living here in the mountains, I only drink, when I know Im staying at home, or if I leave my car at a mates house...
Now after not drinking for a good few months (apart from the odd beer), 3 pints gets me pretty tipsy.

I would say after three pints, I "would" be able to drive home, but if something unusual happened, like an animal jumping out on me, I dont know if I would be able to avoid it....

David Lock

And there's a bigger picture. I am just sick and tired of being told what to do. I am being programmed to eat properly and take sensible exercise etc etc so presumably I will end up dribbling in a home reading the telegram

I can't smoke without someone tut-tutting. I can't smile at, let alone say hello to, at a sweet 4 year old 'cos mum will think I'm a paedo. I can't read a newspaper without being told what to eat and drink. I can't speak to a doctor in confidence 'cos it all goes down on the database. I can't clip a naughty kid around the ear or I'll be done for assault. I can't drive at 40 in a 30 limit even at 6 in the morning when the road is empty. I can't go into town shopping without being photographed 40 times without my permission. Aaaaaaaaaghhhhh.

I might as well be a bloody Dalek..... I'm off to the pub

dl

Mitchy260

Who has got pis*ed on a sunday and woke up with a hangover monday morning for the drive to work? What about out for a few friday night and dropping the missus off saturday morning at work?

Good chance you'll still be over the limit on both occasions. Our prisons are full to the rafters already.

I'll hold my hand up and admit i have done so before, not straight from the pub but after the night before.

I was in the military at the time and was on my HGV/LGV training, i was coming up for my test and was told on the monday my test was on the wednesday. I was given tuesday off. I went out and got absoloutely hammered on the monday night only to be woken 1st thing tuesday morning by a big hairy ars*d sgt that my test was now in 1 hours time. I was 18 at the time and new to the forces, so i was not about to argue with him and tell him i couldn't drive, i suspect i would have been in big sh*t so i kept quiet.

I was still absoloutely hammered, drunk up until 3:30am and test was at 08:30

I turned up at 08:15 tried not to breathe on anyone to arouse suspcion and went out to check the wagon over.

I was absoloutely bricking it, i had only passed my car test a couple of weeks beforehand so i was not a confident driver at the time, and with being pissed as a fart i was absoloutely sh*tting it.

I concentrated so much as to not arouse suspicion, i passed my test without 1 driving fault. No majors, no minors, not 1 It was an excellent drive and my test sheet was laminated and put on the wall afterwards as i was the 1st person that had achieved that in the 10+yrs that the test centre had been open.

I could not believe it.

Stupid i know especially when i think about it now and the fact i was on the road in charge of a 7.5+ ton lorry i was a risk to everything on the road.

Have never done so again, not even the day after now. Well about tea time the next day anyway.

With what happened to the footballer and the 2 kids a few months back, it is just not worth it.

djmisio85

Have to agree with you on those points. Its the "bad people" that have made living a "normal life" for us, like bloody who wants to be a millionaire, whatever you do nowadays, like you mentioned even smiling to a young child, you risk either going to prison, or getting a smile back, its ridiculous.

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

Sorry, but I disagree with that.

A fellow I used to work with recieved a written warning at what was our place of employment for this. He basically brushed his teeth and used mouth wash at 9pm one night before work. I was behind him in the que for the card reading turnstiles, metal detector and breathaliser we all had to take beofre commencing into the warehouse floor.

He blew and recieved 4 on it. It's the same callibration as a cop breathaliser, which I think the uk limit is 35? mg etc etc.

Anyways, I acted as a witness as he was sat down and interegated as to what he'd been drinking before work. Tried to explain he didn't even drink alcohol and had used mouthwash for a nasty ulcer on his gums. Anywho none of that worked, he had to do statements etc, was sent home for the night and had a disciplinary for breaking H & S regulations (ie not being zero on the test). So he recieved a written warning, contacted union, contested it and ended up taking them to court as he ended up off work through stress (was having a bad time anyways with a family death I think).

Got a nice little payout from the cvnts and written warning was ripped up. They didn't change anything until a similar thing happened to two Polish guys too Seriously!

So sorry Pete, I don't beleive what you say to be true, but only on my old work mates situation and circumstance.

djmisio85

But anyway, after using mouth wash, it isnt "consumed"..... so it wont affect your driving in anyway, (unless youre such a lightweight that you get tipsy on fumes lol)

Tidgy

fully agree with banning totaly, i wont even have a sip and drive.

djmisio85

well this thread died down quickly.

Also for those who said "dont ban", how would you feel if you were in an accident while driving, and you left someone crippled for life.... would you have any guilt of drinking that pint?

Living in a country where drink driving is banned, i see all the benfit, especially the lack of drunk chavs speeding around

Odds on

Worst "I drunk drove and now feel guilty" thread ever.

djmisio85

Lol, only time iv ever drunk and driven, was before I even had a licence, and i literally drove 20 metres, and stopped.

The reason I wrote this thread is stated in my original post, is there a link with drinking and driving and chav culture..... Because frankly, I think chavs are the biggest scum of the earth. I live in Japan, no drink driving here, no chavs here..... coincidence.....maybe, but I reckon theres a connection.....

Drink driving is only one of the bad things they tend to do....

r32

Ban is fine, but when do you know youre at zero?
I will not drink at all if I'm driving. But I will have a couple of glasses on a sunday evening with a meal. But am I zero in the morning? I dont have a clue and thats the trouble with zero!

Plus as I mentioned before, its not those that are below the current limit causing accidents, its the people who break the current law and would continue to break a zero policy by getting stoned and driving. Zero wont make one iota of difference to them. All youre going to do is pick up joe public.

ghg

I never drink and get behind the wheel. my licence is to important to me.

djmisio85

Well, if drinking and driving is banned, then people wouldnt even consider drinking if they have to drive. Plus most police officers dont do alcohol checks in the early mornings.....Thats the problem with the current law, give them an inch, and they take a mile.....

As mentioned, its a question of your own judgment.... then if there is a ban, you wont drink and drive (because of the consequences of losing your licence, and fine, jail whatever) and you wont have to even worry about making such a judgement.

and obviously if you have been drinking until 3am and need to leave for work at 6am, then most sensible people will either not drive, or they wont drink until 3am in the first place....

You cant say that if "drink driving" was eliminated, then the roads would not be a safer place, can you.....

r32

But the same people that ignore the current law will still ignore the new one. Changing the rules sadly wont stop people drinking and driving.

Klaatu

Driver training is the key!

NotoriousREV

Complete and utter bollocks. I was breathalised at 8am after some woman pulled out of a junction in front of me (zero alcohol, I might add). Also a friend of my Dad ended up being banned after stopping to help at the scene of an accident in the morning rush hour. Everyone at the scene was breathalised and he blew a positive from drinking the night before.

Odds on

Indeed, those cup holders aren't there for no reason. Let's get some can's of lager in them from the very 1st leason.

Klaatu

LOL Yeah, indeed. I used to work with someone, many moons ago, had cans of HSB, opened/unopened, rolling about his car, on the floor, the dash etc.He was well old at that time. Basic "training".

boxst

You could get the car to make sure ...

Volvo's Seat-Belt Breathalyser :: ConceptCar automotive & design news




Steve

Klaatu

It's coming, trustme me, this technology is coming. As well as petrol being far too expensive to buy (Carbon trading schemes).

SetoN

Those sensible enough not to drink drive in the first place would follow the new regulations and those who never gave a **** in the first place would continue to drive pissed regardless of any new rules. No point.

Norman D. Landing

How would you feel if you were in an accident while driving, and you left that someone crippled for life....would you have any guit of(?) [changing that radio station|looking at your satnav|doing up your fly after you just cracked one off].

Get real.

djmisio85

since when did sat nav and a radio impair your senses and reaction???

Torquemada

The breath analysing seatbelt is pointless, I thought? Don't they have these types of gadgets in the states and people just get a sobre person to blow into them (that's if the sobre person is unscrupulous enough to do so but "hey I'll give you $50 if you blow into this" might help, even though a cab would be cheaper).
People will always find ways to break the law if they want to, imposing all these extra rules on 'law abiding' folks might just crazy them up a little more

Just build a seperate set of roads for drunk people to drive on