Do You Drink & Drive?

[genf_stfc]

in fact here - 20million quid up on the deal in 2003-2004.  over 20%, a nice little earner

http://www.dft.gov.uk/foi/responses/2005/mar/speedcamerarevenue/

[flammableBen]

in fact here - 20million quid up on the deal in 2003-2004.  over 20%, a nice little earner

http://www.dft.gov.uk/foi/responses/2005/mar/speedcamerarevenue/

That sort of makes my point though. 20million is fuck all in the government spending levels. If it was really about revenue they'd be better off putting a quid on road tax.

[BANGKOK RED]

I have done, but the night that I did taught me something.

It wasn't the cool 1k sterling fine/bribe that taught me. It was the fact the parked car that  I hit could so easily have been a person.

Since then....... ABSOLUTELY NOT.

If I know that I am going to be drinking then I call a taxi to go out, or if the 'designated' driver has had too many then I'll get a taxi home and then get my car the next day.

[genf_stfc]

my point was that these fines are easy to levy and pursue, they do raise money, but the argument that they are for 'public saftey' is a bit thin as there are many other things they could do that would have a larger impact on public saftey that they don't, presumably becasue they are harder to do or cost money

I mean the 50 million the coppers in England didn't get that the scottish ones did is only 2.5 times fuck all - but still they won't get that and we could be faced with them going out on strike in the future leaving dell to hammer around lashed to his heart's content.  I didn't accuse the government of knowing what it was doing, or having its priorities right.

[flammableBen]

my point was that these fines are easy to levy and pursue, they do raise money, but the argument that they are for 'public saftey' is a bit thin as there are many other things they could do that would have a larger impact on public saftey that they don't, presumably becasue they are harder to do or cost money

I mean the 50 million the coppers in England didn't get that the scottish ones did is only 2.5 times fuck all - but still they won't get that and we could be faced with them going out on strike in the future leaving dell to hammer around lashed to his heart's content.  I didn't accuse the government of knowing what it was doing, or having its priorities right.

I'm not saying that the government is close to be being right in most things that they do. But they aren't out to get you.

Stuff about them trying to trick you into speeding is bollocks. Just stay under the speed limit it's not as difficult as lots of people seem to make out.

[Mister Lorenzo]

I'm not saying that the government is close to be being right in most things that they do. But they aren't out to get you.

Stuff about them trying to trick you into speeding is bollocks. Just stay under the speed limit it's not as difficult as lots of people seem to make out.

Says the bloke who never drives  

[dell boy]

i'll have 2 pints of shandy or 1 lager but no more.and deffo no stella or kroney.
you were lucky dell boy as you were deffo over the limit

I had to give a breath test on three pints about 15 years ago and passed. I've known others have just one and half pints and fail so it really isn't a very fair system in this country, so I suppose the only way to go is not drink at all if you are driving.

I felt perfectly sober when I left the pub this time, I was obviously worried I would fail a breath test because I pulled into another pub car park to avoid the old bill.

As I stated earlier, this is not the norm for me these days to even contemplate driving over the limit, but it just shows how easily you can even though you know it's wrong, like the TV ad of last year when the guy refuses a drink because he's driving and his mates start taking the piss and eventually he does.

[reeves4england]

I don't mind having a drink before driving but I'd never drink enough to put me over the limit, and wouldn't normally drink anything at all if I was driving within say the next 2 hours.

[leefer]

As a lorry driver ive seen some nasty moments,and a couple of crashes that made me physically sick,drink driving is bad and wrong....but the point is the law is wrong....why because alot of people will have a glass of wine after along day and they might as well have drunk 3 glasses because ware all made differently,some nights i can drink loads and it wont affect me,butanother night 2 drinks and i feel pissed.....the law is an ass,should be no alcahol if your driving!

[Bogus Dave]

It does seem odd that you can't drive whilst using a mobile phone, but can after having a pint.

[lebowski]

I don't think you should be allowed to smoke whilst driving either.

It is a filthy habbit.

[Simon Pieman]

I think drink driving is something people are not willing to readily admit to, mainly because it's deemed so socially unnacceptable by most (which is a good thing). However, most are probably blissfully unaware that they may have done it.

Given the choice I'd have tested myself with a £20-50 piece of breath-testing kit that I could use time and time again, which is something I will do when I'm back on the road (or indeed not drive at all the next day). It's a small price to pay compared to a potential lengthy ban, fine and possible further punishment, not to mention the guilt and sorrow and anger amongst yourself, family, friends and general public should the worst happen.

It's very well saying you don't drive the morning after, but:

a) We're all different and metabolise alcohol at different rates, at different times, in different circumstance.

b) Your body can only metabolise a certain amount of alcohol in a given period. Metabolism in this period is finite. You could go out on Friday and Saturday night and the cumulative effect may still put you over the limit by Sunday afternoon.

As for limiting yourself to one drink when you're driving to the pub, I really didn't ever see the point and this is something I probably did about once. On all other occassions I'd 'responsibly' only drink soft drinks. That's not a social judgement, merely a personal opinion.

People who have crept over the speed limit (or smashed it) or used a mobile whilst driving are more willing to admit it because there is little social outcasting that comes with doing this. Hopefully a greater awareness of how dangerous this can be in certain circumstances will start to filter into the public's consciousness in the near future.

I think harsher bans are working with drink driving and I wouldn't be surprised to see harsher penalties for other offences accordingly (which has already started to happen in fact).

[Ralphy]

If i'm driving, I have 1 pint max normally.

If at football on a saturday, I may have 2 pints and then several cokes before the match plus a burger and coffee during the game.

[herthab]

I do the licensing training for managers to obtain their BII qualification.

20 minutes after you stop drinking the body gets rid of approx 1 unit of alcohol an hour (Half a pint of normal strength lager). There is no way to speed this process up, no matter what you eat, or drink.

I'm like Ralphy at the footy, I'll usually have a couple of lagers, then stop at about 2.00, that way I know I'll be ok when I get back in the car................

[Leggett]

i've never driven whilst pissed, but have driven the morning after a heavy session and will never, ever do that again.

1 friend is a regular drink/driver, he's good at acting not pissed until the next morning, he's a sneaky fucker otherwise i'd pull him up on it a bit more. an old friend used to drink and drive from the town centre to south cerny, he almost put his car up an embankment and into one of the lakes once. the guy is a fool!