RE: Think before you Drink before you Drive
Discussion
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However much you concentrate *one* unit of alcohol severely impacts your reactions and ability to drive. Pot is even worse.
See my previous post, Drunk drivers should be banned if they re-offend.
Sparks
I absolutely agree that drunk drivers should get a ban. My concern is that there are too many people who say, "I haven't had a drink, I'm not breaking the speed limit, therefore I must be a safe driver." Then they pick up the mobile, don't bother to indicate, start fishing for toffees in their coat, fall asleep, etc, etc, etc.
There are a whole range of stupid things you can do in a car that will eventually end up killing some poor bastard and each one of these stupid acts is as bad as the other and deserves punishment.
P.S.
Anyone who fits bullbars or stupid decorations to the front of their vehicle should get done. Like having a drink, it is an entirely selfish act. These things kill pedestrians. Front of the vehicle is designed to absorb an impact and guide the pedestrian's body up and over the bonnet in order to minimise the forces involved. Bolt that cute smiling frog to the bonnet of your Golf and you've got the perfect device for disembowling someone. Add a bullbar and you guarantee the pedestrian hits something nice and solid that throws them back down the road. If you live in Kenya I can see why you might want bullbars, but I've yet to spot any wildebeast sloping around Knightsbridge.
I tried driving thro Cambridge on a Saturday night and there was wildlife all over the place ! I do think we are being a bit holier than thou about drink driving though, for example if you have a jar the night before you could be over the limit and not realise it. If you drive while tired you are a liability. There is a legal level of tolerance for drink driving which is practically impossible for the layman to quantify but very easy to measure/fine if you are plod....why don't they ban it altogether ? another nice little earner perhaps
I agree with Apache though you cannot have a zero limit as certain non-intoxicating substances can contain alcohol eg medicines (cough medicine esp), and believe it or not oranges. These do not effect driving adversly in comparison to drowsiness. I personally believe that the limit set is far too high as someone like myself can be innebriated on less than the limit. I don't drink at all, and even when I did the limit I had for driving was none.
So lets lower the limit to virtually none (ie half a pint is over the limit) and make the roads safer.
To the guy who said his copper mate bagged drunk drivers simply by picking out who was driving carefully, at 30 mph etc. It is illegal to perform random breath tests - there must be a reason why they are being pulled over (though thats not to say they dont make up a reason).
If I got pulled over and breathalysed if I was not doing anything wrong, I would complain. I have been breathalysed twice and have passed both times, even though I had a couple of pints on both occaisions.
I see no wrong if you are careful and dont have more than the limit.
Sorry if this may be a bit politically incorrect but my opinion is that the limits are about right as they are, to reduce it down to zero, a trace or even "about half a pint" is totally over the top.
I feel that yes drunk drivers kill and cause accidents but it is all too easy to jump on the bandwagon and shout "ban it, hang them and cut their goolies off" I regulary stop off on the way home from work and have a pint with friends at the end of a sh1tty day. I have 1 pint and then maybe a shandy at the most over a period of an hour or so, I then drive home with no noticable effect feeling better more relaxed and un wound. This may partly be attributable to some alcohol but the majority of my calmer state of mind is due to the ambient atmosphere and like minded people I have just spent an hour or so with.
Now before anyone leaps on the topic and starts quoting figures that show even half a pint impairs ones ability to drive and slows reactions. I know and I don't care ! My reactions and driving ability are better than atleast 50% of "other drivers" I have earn't the right to say this after many years driving performance vehicles on the road and race track and have proved my ability. I can and will continue, I know that after 1 1/2 pints of beer I am still safer than a lot of tossers. This is very arrogant and selfish but lets be honest I stop off and have a beer on the way home this is a very British thing to do and should never be a crime or would it suit peoples left wing faggot views better if we banned all cars over 100bhp as well now sod off !
Edited by mel on Thursday 23 August 10:14
Ah. Some sensible views being expressed. Clearly driving whilst drunk is stupid and dangerous. If you can feel the effect of the alcohol you've had too much and shouldn't drive.
But a bit of tolerance for ONE drink after work is why the British limit is the way it is, surely!
Lowering the limit wouldn't affect catching the "hardened" drunk drivers who are willing to down four pints and then drive dangerously all the way home - they are already over the British limit NOW!
I believe if you drink at all you shouldn't drive (O.K, i'm teetotal so that may cloud my opinion).
However as mel pointed out an experienced, competant driver w(sh)ould be safe on a very moderate amount of alcohol.
Most U.K drivers are nowhere near competant drivers so alcohol, pot, tiredness, mobile 'phones etc make them a liability.
Independant scientific study proves that in 'emergency' situations, 1 pint (2 units?), is enough to impare the average drivers ability to cope to the extent that an accident is almost ineviable.
Sparks
As you pointed out Mel, a little alcohol can and does effect your judgement, but ask yourself this question. "If you drove home and hit/killed someone. If you hadn't had your 1.5 pints could you have avoided the accident?" I know that I couldn't drink and drive purely because I would not be able to live with that doubt.
Alcohol like any drug can affect people in different ways depending upon situations/health/diet etc. My point was that I believe that the limit of 2 pints is too high. I don't believe in a zero tolerance as explained in my previous post.
Most good drivers I have met are the ones that fully enjoy driving and drinking deters from that pleasure. So they have a no drink(drug)/drive policy.
Good driver or not, alcohol effects your judgement. I have also been to the pub after work with friends. You can be in the relaxing atmosphere to unwind just as well with a soft drink.
The actual limits are not in units but in parts of breath/blood/urine. Formally The prescribed limits are:
35 microgrammes in 100ml breath
80 milligrammes in 100ml blood
107 milligrammes in 100ml urine
As a guide I believe that it is 2 pints of normal strength beer, 1.5 pints of cider, 2 glasses of wine etc.
Its this ambiguity that causes problems (what is normal strength beer? etc). A person may be over the limit without realising it.
Edited by smeagol on Thursday 23 August 16:49
quote:Possible but its a chance I'll take !! The bottom line is if I hadn't have been thinking about this months targets, laughing at radio 4, picking my nose, talking on the phone (hands free of course ladies), or scratching my bollox I might also of avoided that accident but its what I do in the car everyday of the week the amount of alcohol concerned is negligible in the big scheme of things so I'll carry on having my pint (singular remeber) on the way home thank you very much. I will conceed the point that the effects detract from the pleasure of driving and would add that if I've had a "few" on a saturday night I don't do the sunday morning blast, and I've always laid off the source the night before I've raced. I'm not saying its ok to get bladdered and drive that is fundementally wrong but its called moderation and no shandy drinking poof will take that away
As you pointed out Mel, a little alcohol can and does effect your judgement, but ask yourself this question. "If you drove home and hit/killed someone. If you hadn't had your 1.5 pints could you have avoided the accident?"
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