Enjoy your summer pint, but...

Enjoy your summer pint, but...

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Discussion

aw51 121565

4,771 posts

232 months

Saturday 28th April 2012
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Welshbeef said:
hornetrider said:
Silly boy. One pint is fine.
I know it is but I'd rather not have anything to drink if I'm driving my personal choice. Any accident god forbid would be down to another reason
As posted at 21:40 last night, the effective legal limit is one pint.

We are all aware that we can drink more than the equivalent of a pint of average beer and pass the breath test (I personally don't feel capable of driving after any more than a pint of bitter, and I am sure I am not alone) - but your policy is to be applauded, and you'd be surprised how many drivers actually follow it wink .

In an earlier post you spoke about the dozens of (insert multiple of personal insult here) who get done for drink driving; but you seem to have overlooked that the vast majority of drivers actually manage not to get done by dint of controlling their alcohol intake before driving in the way you describe smile .

As such, the UK's Drink Drive Law works - but there will always be a few people who will disregard it regardless of the legal limits set rolleyes , and it's such an emotive subject for some that reasoned debate can be difficult at times frown .


Zerotonine

1,171 posts

173 months

Saturday 28th April 2012
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Not going to read 13 pages, but will stick in my opinion anyway.
A few years ago a very good friend of mine, just finished University, paid his way, worked the whole time so he could afford it, left his girlfriend's house for the drive back home. On his way, he encountered a drink driver which collided with his car head on. Killed him, and the drink driver, instantly. This kid had a bright future ahead of him, was the true definition of 'blue eyed boy' and did not deserve to have been killed by some fking dhead who thought that he could drive after having a few. In my opinion, if you cause death by driving while under the influence, it should be seen as murder and carry a life sentence.

Willy Nilly

12,511 posts

166 months

Saturday 28th April 2012
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This is a very emotive subject, people get all most hysterical about it.

I'm not condoning drink driving.

However, I'm not convinced that people that get caught at the lower end of the scale are near as dangerous to themselves and other as "they" would have us believe. People should be fully in control when they are driving, but how many of us actually are in full control and not distracted by something? If a driver is 1mg over the limit he/she is a criminal. How is that persons driving compared a person that is 1mg under, or another person who is stone cold sober but has just had a row with the wife, or is feeling a bit off colour, or is just a poor driver?

Last night I went out for a few drinks, got a taxi and went home. How do I know when I am safe to drive? All sensible precautions were taken for the evening, but it is the following day that someone can get tripped up. When they get tripped up, it's not a 60 quid fine and three points, it's lose your licence, possibly your job and gain a criminal record. If you get caught being just over the following day, you might as well have driven home having had a skin full and saved on the taxi bill.

People jump up and down about how dangerous it is, so come on then, I want hard facts, not conjecture, about the number and severity of the crashes people get into who are just over the limit. Then you can compare those figures with other distractions in the car. Is it any worse than driving while talking on the phone? The police will be on and say how they have cut x y and z from a car hit by a "drunk" driver and what an evil person that "drunk" driver was/is. What do they think when they have to cut a b and c from a similar car that got hit by a sober driver that just made a mistake?

I'll say again, I am not condoning drink driving, but I would appreciate some rational and bit less emotion when discussing the topic.