Rural drink-driving
Discussion
thewarlock said:
A few years ago, big Al took that gig for the summer.
Once the last ferry has departed for the day, all the inbred locals come out and go to the pub, and they all drink and drive. The police don't bother stopping it, as long as no-one gets hurt.
Why do you think the locals are "inbred". Would you know if someone was "inbred" if you met them? Have you ever been to Millport?Once the last ferry has departed for the day, all the inbred locals come out and go to the pub, and they all drink and drive. The police don't bother stopping it, as long as no-one gets hurt.
And how many years ago was this?
Certainly doesn't happen now.
Driver101 said:
Pistom said:
Clearly alcohol must have some impairment but the risk of getting caught is virtually none, the liklihood of causing an accident virtually none so should anyone care?
In 2019 there was 8000 people killed or injured due to drink driving crashes. It dropped to 6500 in 2020. Pubs were closed and people covering less miles. The true figure of the amount of crashes, bumps and scrapes will be massively higher. Alcohol heavily affects people's reactions and ability. A few drinks and they feel more confident, but don't realise they are impaired. Head along to an A&E department on a weekend evening. The place is full of people having alcohol related accidents.
I don't agree that there is virtually no likelihood of causing an accident.
I got told before I went to Atlanta with work that "They have a zero tolerance approach to drink driving over here", implication being being British I would probably go drink driving.
Never seen as much drinking and driving as over there, saw one chap leave a car/restaurant, he was wearing a T Shirt styled on the Coke Logo that said instead "Jesus Saves", he was putting perhaps too much faith in old JC when I saw him being assisted into his van after an evening of heavy drinking, guy couldnt walk but started up, drove off and didnt hit anything (Whilst in visual range anyway)
Saw colleagues drink cocktails, a bottle of wine, many beers and still drive, did try to mention it but was kind of dismissed.
Its not something I have ever done, maybe in the morning when I was about 20 not realising you didn't just magically sober up after four hours sleep.
You need to put yourself in that position of being nicked for DD, imagine the situation you would find yourself in, needing lifts, people judging you, the expense, selling your car potentially. And thats if you dont crash and hurt someone, or yourself, I like booze but it isn't better than having a license and being free of regret, guilt etc.
Never seen as much drinking and driving as over there, saw one chap leave a car/restaurant, he was wearing a T Shirt styled on the Coke Logo that said instead "Jesus Saves", he was putting perhaps too much faith in old JC when I saw him being assisted into his van after an evening of heavy drinking, guy couldnt walk but started up, drove off and didnt hit anything (Whilst in visual range anyway)
Saw colleagues drink cocktails, a bottle of wine, many beers and still drive, did try to mention it but was kind of dismissed.
Its not something I have ever done, maybe in the morning when I was about 20 not realising you didn't just magically sober up after four hours sleep.
You need to put yourself in that position of being nicked for DD, imagine the situation you would find yourself in, needing lifts, people judging you, the expense, selling your car potentially. And thats if you dont crash and hurt someone, or yourself, I like booze but it isn't better than having a license and being free of regret, guilt etc.
I went out with a girl in LA for a bit and we'd drive half an hour to a favourite cocktail lounge or Tex Mex and she and all her friends would think nothing of downing cocktails, beers and shots and then waiting for the valet to bring their cars out in order to drive back home.
That's city streets and freeways.
Guess it's like being in rural Britain in that there's no alternative to driving and everywhere is set up for cars.
That's city streets and freeways.
Guess it's like being in rural Britain in that there's no alternative to driving and everywhere is set up for cars.
J4CKO said:
I got told before I went to Atlanta with work that "They have a zero tolerance approach to drink driving over here", implication being being British I would probably go drink driving.
Never seen as much drinking and driving as over there,
I lived just north of Atlanta and fully agree. I never did as I just don't agree with it but a bottle of wine and driving was fairly common. We chose not to socialise with people who did drink driving but even at work amongst those who were well educated and remunerated it was rife. Never seen as much drinking and driving as over there,
When I went into rural Wisconsin it was even worse than Georgia
J4CKO said:
Its all good fun until you come off the road and end up with a fence pole in your ribcage for your trouble, as someone I know did. He survived, more or less. He wasnt pissed but was definitely over and wasnt even his fault really, another car came onto his side of the road at speed.
Or kill your OH as a bloke I used to work with did. He got sent down for manslaughter.
Leave and large town or city and its rife over weekends.
This happened recently:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestersh...
Awful, killed the guy instantly.
This happened recently:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestersh...
Awful, killed the guy instantly.
Rural Somerset;
Used to drink up to 3 -4 pints over an evening and then carefully mosey on home. No issues ever.
Now it’s 2 pints max with a meal and 1 pint without a meal.
Anywhere with street lights;
Used to have a couple of shandies, figuring you’d process the alcohol reasonably well and hover around the limit.
Now, Nothing ever. Thankfully alcohol free beer is pretty good and available in most pubs & restaurants.
I know plenty who do still, but the social tide is turning.
Most house parties or dinner parties I go to have a decent alcohol free option now.
Used to drink up to 3 -4 pints over an evening and then carefully mosey on home. No issues ever.
Now it’s 2 pints max with a meal and 1 pint without a meal.
Anywhere with street lights;
Used to have a couple of shandies, figuring you’d process the alcohol reasonably well and hover around the limit.
Now, Nothing ever. Thankfully alcohol free beer is pretty good and available in most pubs & restaurants.
I know plenty who do still, but the social tide is turning.
Most house parties or dinner parties I go to have a decent alcohol free option now.
Sebring440 said:
Why do you think the locals are "inbred". Would you know if someone was "inbred" if you met them? Have you ever been to Millport?
And how many years ago was this?
Certainly doesn't happen now.
Have I been to Milport? Yes, many times.And how many years ago was this?
Certainly doesn't happen now.
How many years ago was this? About 5, maybe 6 or 7.
Are you one of said locals, is that why what I've said is upsetting you?
thewarlock said:
Good friend of mine is in the Police.
There's an island, just off Largs on the west coast of Scotland, called Great Cumbrae, often referred to as Millport (the name of the only town on the island)
Millport has a police house, with one permanent resident, but in the summer months, when it's more touristy, they send a 2nd officer to stay on the island and help out.
A few years ago, big Al took that gig for the summer.
Once the last ferry has departed for the day, all the inbred locals come out and go to the pub, and they all drink and drive. The police don't bother stopping it, as long as no-one gets hurt.
Not saying it's right, just saying, that's what happens out there.
It's not like that on more remote islands in my experience. I stayed on Barra once, and the resident local copper (always someone from the mainland on a 6 month rotation, so they don't get "in" with the locals) sits in his patrol car outside either of the 2 pub/hotels pretty much every night and breath tests pretty much everyone driving out of the car park. We were warned about this when we arrived, so on the first visit to the pub my missus said she'd drive home, had a single small lager early doors then diet cokes for the rest of the night. Sure enough, we got pulled over straight out of the car park and she was breath tested. Passed and off we went.There's an island, just off Largs on the west coast of Scotland, called Great Cumbrae, often referred to as Millport (the name of the only town on the island)
Millport has a police house, with one permanent resident, but in the summer months, when it's more touristy, they send a 2nd officer to stay on the island and help out.
A few years ago, big Al took that gig for the summer.
Once the last ferry has departed for the day, all the inbred locals come out and go to the pub, and they all drink and drive. The police don't bother stopping it, as long as no-one gets hurt.
Not saying it's right, just saying, that's what happens out there.
When we were children, a school mate of mine's Dad drove to the pub one night, had what he adjudged to be one too many and said to his mates "I'll leave the car in the car park and walk home". He was hit and killed by a drunk driver on that walk.
My own father was killed on the road by an inattentive driver shortly after that - not drunk, just not looking where he was going. So I take farily unkindly to people taking the piss with road safety, even in remote and rural places things can go catastrophically wrong.
Edited by Bannock on Wednesday 10th August 15:42
Gweeds said:
Having lost a good friend to a drunk driver a few years back I have zero tolerance for it. If I’m in a pub and see someone who’s clearly been drinking go to drive away I just call the police there and then.
I give zero f
ks about them, only those they may injure or kill.
Which is, in my opinion, the right thing to do. I give zero f
ks about them, only those they may injure or kill. Further to the other USA stories, I lived in Florida and I was amazed at the drink driving culture there. One local bar used to hire a Sheriff’s deputy to be security on the door and he would literally help pissed-up punters to their pick-ups and tell them to drive safely! But it was pretty much the only way to get around at night as there were no taxis.
This may or may not be true. Like to think it is.
Mate of mine chatting to a bloke in an Australian outback bar says he has to drive 60 miles to the pub. One night on his way home completely drunk he somehow manages to crash into the only police car for a 1,000 miles and as a consequence loses his licence.
My mate asked him how he got to the bar today where the old boy pointed out of the window to a little light aircraft (crop sprayer) "They took away my driving licence not my pilots".
Mate of mine chatting to a bloke in an Australian outback bar says he has to drive 60 miles to the pub. One night on his way home completely drunk he somehow manages to crash into the only police car for a 1,000 miles and as a consequence loses his licence.
My mate asked him how he got to the bar today where the old boy pointed out of the window to a little light aircraft (crop sprayer) "They took away my driving licence not my pilots".
When I first moved to a rural village I was shocked, lived in 3 different rural villages since and it’s been common place in each.
We’ve always selected our homes based on walking distance to the village amenities, so basically the pub.
I knew one particular resident who did a pub crawl of the local villages in his Land Rover, every night. Finished in our local with a glass of red and a brandy, often falling asleep on the bar before being turfed out and driving home. Regular as clockwork. Nobody batted an eyelid, quite remarkable.
We’ve always selected our homes based on walking distance to the village amenities, so basically the pub.
I knew one particular resident who did a pub crawl of the local villages in his Land Rover, every night. Finished in our local with a glass of red and a brandy, often falling asleep on the bar before being turfed out and driving home. Regular as clockwork. Nobody batted an eyelid, quite remarkable.
So in rural areas there is less chance of a crash. This is macabre, but visits some rural cemeteries and look at the grave stones all with the same date of death, 3/4/5 all on the same day.
I grew up in rural Yorkshire; New Years Eve a lad crashed his hot mini, with 3 passengers, that was 4 families who had a bad New Year’s Day.
I grew up in rural Yorkshire; New Years Eve a lad crashed his hot mini, with 3 passengers, that was 4 families who had a bad New Year’s Day.
What the zero-tolerance authoritarians always fail to point out when they reel off their examples of someone who was terribly killed by a drunk driver is that the vast majority of accidents happen with sober drivers.
The fact that a person has had some alcohol before driving should not result in the automatic assumption that alcohol was the cause. But it always does.
Anyway, that aside... and to the question at the beginning. There was a story of the possibility of a 'pass' for drink driving in rural Ireland some years ago, I don't know if there has been any update since: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/22/iris...
The fact that a person has had some alcohol before driving should not result in the automatic assumption that alcohol was the cause. But it always does.
Anyway, that aside... and to the question at the beginning. There was a story of the possibility of a 'pass' for drink driving in rural Ireland some years ago, I don't know if there has been any update since: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/22/iris...
ingenieur said:
What the zero-tolerance authoritarians always fail to point out when they reel off their examples of someone who was terribly killed by a drunk driver is that the vast majority of accidents happen with sober drivers.
The fact that a person has had some alcohol before driving should not result in the automatic assumption that alcohol was the cause. But it always does.
Anyway, that aside... and to the question at the beginning. There was a story of the possibility of a 'pass' for drink driving in rural Ireland some years ago, I don't know if there has been any update since: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/22/iris...
Why take the chance? The drunk driver will usually be blamed, yeah, but why take a drink and drive and tempt fate? What is so great about needing to have a few drinks that people take a chance with their lives; acceptable though that may be, and the lives of others; which is wholly unacceptable? Does alcohol have such a grip over people they cannot simply do without for one evening? The fact that a person has had some alcohol before driving should not result in the automatic assumption that alcohol was the cause. But it always does.
Anyway, that aside... and to the question at the beginning. There was a story of the possibility of a 'pass' for drink driving in rural Ireland some years ago, I don't know if there has been any update since: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/22/iris...
Back in the 70s lived in rural Northants. Regularly used a very minor country lane to get home from a pub in the next village. Was stopped by police road block one night. Expecting to have to blow in the bag I was surpised when they asked me to open the boot. They were looking for sheep rustlers and quickly waved me on!
ingenieur said:
What the zero-tolerance authoritarians always fail to point out when they reel off their examples of someone who was terribly killed by a drunk driver is that the vast majority of accidents happen with sober drivers.
The fact that a person has had some alcohol before driving should not result in the automatic assumption that alcohol was the cause. But it always does.
Anyway, that aside... and to the question at the beginning. There was a story of the possibility of a 'pass' for drink driving in rural Ireland some years ago, I don't know if there has been any update since: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/22/iris...
More than happy to be called an authoritarian. The fact that a person has had some alcohol before driving should not result in the automatic assumption that alcohol was the cause. But it always does.
Anyway, that aside... and to the question at the beginning. There was a story of the possibility of a 'pass' for drink driving in rural Ireland some years ago, I don't know if there has been any update since: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/22/iris...
Just don’t f
king do it. The sack of st who killed my friend was over 3 times over the limit. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff