[News] Drink driving - why?

[BensGrandad]

Has anyone else said this?

I live in a place that overlooks the local pub car park. It’s usually packed. Surely a police presence with a breathalyser would stop a lot of folk with a couple of pints or whatever in them attempting to drive off?

Some years ago it was a known fact that police went around the car parks of pubs in Worthing like The George and Mulberry and put one of those little round stickers on the nearside headlight. They then sat up the road and watched for the slight break in the headlight beam coming towards them which indicated that car had been in a pub car park then pulled it over for some reason. Apparently the break in the beam was not noticeable to the driver of the car but was very clear to somebody sitting up the road with the car coming towards them.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I have not read through the whole thread but I see it this way.
There should be no limit, you should not drink and drive, zero tolerance, and if you do and get caught the punishment should be far tougher than they are now, possibly losing your licence for good.
But today, you are allowed to drink and drive and its tricky to know your limits, while you can drink and drive everybody should carry a breathalyser in the car.

We're talking about an erosion of personal and societal freedom here. A zero limit means no glass of champagne at a christening / wedding, no farewell drink at a funeral or at Mr. Jones's leaving do, no relaxing pint of proper beer in a cosy country pub. Indeed, will half of those pubs even stay in business with a zero tolerance policy?

Japan may well have zero tolerance, but it also has a different culture and an absence of pubs.

As for mandatory breathalysers for motorists, might this not encourage some to drink more than they otherwise would, i.e. take it into the pub, quick breathalyse in the gents, take it right up to the 35mg limit then drive home?

 

[BensGrandad]

I don't see why there isn't a driving life ban on driving with possibly an in house curfew with tags, prison is too costly on the rest of us for their stupidity

I think that like my earlier suggestion of having to take a test to get their licence back would mean the same more and more unlicensed and subsequently uninsured drivers on the road..

 

[dazzer6666]

We're talking about an erosion of personal and societal freedom here. A zero limit means no glass of champagne at a christening / wedding, no farewell drink at a funeral or at Mr. Jones's leaving do, no relaxing pint of proper beer in a cosy country pub. Indeed, will half of those pubs even stay in business with a zero tolerance policy?

Japan may well have zero tolerance, but it also has a different culture and an absence of pubs.

As for mandatory breathalysers for motorists, might this not encourage some to drink more than they otherwise would, i.e. take it into the pub, quick breathalyse in the gents, take it right up to the 35mg limit then drive home?

You should try walking through Roppongi on a Friday night.......

 

[Worried Man Blues]

I think that like my earlier suggestion of having to take a test to get their licence back would mean the same more and more unlicensed and subsequently uninsured drivers on the road..

I wouldn't give them their licence back ever! It's not a question of how good a driver they are, they might be brilliant sober, but not so good after 10 pints of Strongbow.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

Zero tolerance has the same issues as a limit, can you have a couple of glasses lunchtime then drive at 6pm or not. How long do you have to abstain till you can drive, who knows?

 

[happypig]

We're talking about an erosion of personal and societal freedom here. A zero limit means no glass of champagne at a christening / wedding, no farewell drink at a funeral or at Mr. Jones's leaving do, no relaxing pint of proper beer in a cosy country pub. Indeed, will half of those pubs even stay in business with a zero tolerance policy?

A zero, or close to zero, limit would mean you could have a drink or you could drive, not both. You just have to chose. I like a beer so I get taxis because, even after one, I feel a bit "unusual" if I'm driving. Several times I have left the car at a boozer and gone back for it the next day.

 

[BensGrandad]

A zero, or close to zero, limit would mean you could have a drink or you could drive, not both. You just have to chose. I like a beer so I get taxis because, even after one, I feel a bit "unusual" if I'm driving. Several times I have left the car at a boozer and gone back for it the next day.

I did this on the day of my stag party 25th June 1965 and to this day I cannot remember which pub I left it at I thought it was opposite The Swan but have never found the car. It was a dark blue A40 Devon that I bought that morning from Triad Engineering in Brighton drove it to Worthing and never seen again. It had the log book and receipt etc in the glove box so somebody did well out of it.

 

[maffew]

Used to drink at a bikers pub. One night one of the regulars (I didnt personally know him), had a couple or three of the houses home brew cider

So he left his keys behind the bar and set off on his 3 mile walk home pushing his big bike so he could use his spare set at home the next day

Police pulled up and asked what he was up to, so he explained, huge biker guy. They breathlysed him and did him anyway for being over the limit in charge of a vehicle. Cant remember the consequences. Bit harsh me thinks

(By the way did you know that Breathalyser is a brand name just like Sellotape or BluTack)

 

[dazzer6666]

[/B]

I did this on the day of my stag party 25th June 1965 and to this day I cannot remember which pub I left it at I thought it was opposite The Swan but have never found the car. It was a dark blue A40 Devon that I bought that morning from Triad Engineering in Brighton drove it to Worthing and never seen again. It had the log book and receipt etc in the glove box so somebody did well out of it.

Best post EVER [emoji122][emoji122][emoji122][emoji122][emoji122][emoji122]

 

[rippleman]

It might be mitigation, but it's not a defence.

It will be by the time Nick Freeman or one of his ilk are done with it. All charges will be dropped, he will get a letter of apology from the Chief Constable, an ex-gratia payment awarded from the public purse and knighted in the New Years honours list.

Ant (or Dec) is a celebrity. The laws don't apply to him.

 

[greyseagull]

Quite a tough thread to read for me; my brother was knocked off his push bike and killed in Lancing in 1984 by a hit and run drink driver. He went to Boundstone and would be 51 this year - in fact some of you might even of known him/went to school with him. The chap who killed him might even be a NSC member, who knows... Last I heard he was based in Southwick.

Obviously laws were very very different back then. The driver was found guilty and received a £200 fine and had his license taken away for a year.

I'm not going to get too involved in the debate on this as it's obvious where my opinion lies. And as Stone Cold Steve Austin would say; "and that's all I'm gonna say about that".

 

[Marshy]

Quite a tough thread to read for me; my brother was knocked off his push bike and killed in Lancing in 1984 by a hit and run drink driver. He went to Boundstone and would be 51 this year - in fact some of you might even of known him/went to school with him. The chap who killed him might even be a NSC member, who knows... Last I heard he was based in Southwick.

Obviously laws were very very different back then. The driver was found guilty and received a £200 fine and had his license taken away for a year.

I'm not going to get too involved in the debate on this as it's obvious where my opinion lies. And as Stone Cold Steve Austin would say; "and that's all I'm gonna say about that".

200 quid and a 1 year ban, staggering.

 

[Aveacarlin']

6 weeks in prison and life ban from driving for anyone caught drink driving.

How many would risk it then?

Would you say that's proportionate for someone who blew say, 35.1mgs?

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[oneillco]

I've every sympathy with anyone with mental health issues. I've zero sympathy with anyone using that as an excuse for drink-driving. If he uses that as an excuse then he does a disservice to everyone else with MH problems and damages all the hard work trying to get mental health problems better understood. (In my opinion)

But surely the point is that if you have mental health problems you are probably more likely to make a poor decision like drink driving...

 

[dangull]

Quite a tough thread to read for me; my brother was knocked off his push bike and killed in Lancing in 1984 by a hit and run drink driver. He went to Boundstone and would be 51 this year - in fact some of you might even of known him/went to school with him. The chap who killed him might even be a NSC member, who knows... Last I heard he was based in Southwick.

Obviously laws were very very different back then. The driver was found guilty and received a £200 fine and had his license taken away for a year.

I'm not going to get too involved in the debate on this as it's obvious where my opinion lies. And as Stone Cold Steve Austin would say; "and that's all I'm gonna say about that".

Sorry to see that. I also will not comment anymore on this subject.

 

[Baker lite]

I sincerely hope you're not driving for the next 24 hours or so!

But fair enough, life sentence with no parole for drinking a pint and driving home - with no parole. Might as well make it the death sentence then - its much cheaper.

Or we could just have mobile gallows parked outside pub car parks......that should do it.

The **** that killed My brother was a repeat drink driver,he got 6 ****ing years for killing a someone.
I hounded the **** to suicide when he got out,he won’t be killing anyone else.

 

[GT49er]

The **** that killed My brother was a repeat drink driver,he got 6 ****ing years for killing a someone.
I hounded the **** to suicide when he got out,he won’t be killing anyone else.

Guess an eye for an eye is still has its supporters then. Not in the legal system though.


(Sorry to hear what happened to your brother, though).

 

[Baker lite]

Guess an eye for an eye is still has its supporters then. Not in the legal system though.


(Sorry to hear what happened to your brother, though).

The filthy piece of shite topped himself,I just talked him into it.
He won’t be killing anyone else.

 

[Weststander]

Quite a tough thread to read for me; my brother was knocked off his push bike and killed in Lancing in 1984 by a hit and run drink driver. He went to Boundstone and would be 51 this year - in fact some of you might even of known him/went to school with him. The chap who killed him might even be a NSC member, who knows... Last I heard he was based in Southwick.

Obviously laws were very very different back then. The driver was found guilty and received a £200 fine and had his license taken away for a year.

I'm not going to get too involved in the debate on this as it's obvious where my opinion lies. And as Stone Cold Steve Austin would say; "and that's all I'm gonna say about that".

Very sorry to hear that. Since then sentences have in the main been toughened several fold, but in terms of years actually served, they're still way too short in my opinion. Taking a life whilst driving a 2 tonne missile, through dangerous and/or intoxicated driving, isn't treated given the sentencing weight it deserves.