Drink driving - what should the punishment be?

[herulach]

The rules and methods of enforcing drink driving is inheriently and badly flawed.

You cannot measure accurately the amount of alcohol that will affect everybody, neither can you actually test for it on the roadside.

Here's the scenario. I pull onto the side of the road and spay some breath freshner into my mouth before moving on to pick up my date who's just round the corner. As I pull off, I get stopped and roadside tested. Because I have alcohol on my breath, I can easily trip the breathaliser. I've drunk no alcohol and I'm not drunk. Similarly if I leave the pub after drinking half a beer, any reading taken within 30mins is likely to be a false positive.

Scenario two, I drink a pint, my girlfriend drinks a half, now who should drive? My girlfriend is paraletic on a half, I on the otherhand I am fine.

Either which way, tiredness is _probably_ a bigger killer in conjunction with alcohol!

I'd rather see: More police, better training and more power to stop wrong doers.

I'd even like to see pub landlords have greater power - perhaps issuing a driving ban to someone who drinks in their pub over the limit for a number of hours afterwards. In the result of an accident or the driver being pulled over there could be no excuse that they didn't know they were over the limit. Unfortunately something like that would require state enforced ID cards which I'd rather never saw the light of day!

THe breath freshener argument ill accept, but its incredibly unlikely to happen, and even if it did, a ten minute wait would probably remove any effects, same goes for the half at lunch point.

But heres an idea, if youre gonna drive somewhere, have a coke, no ones gonna think any the less of you.

[Raz316]

I personally believe drink driving is on a par with attempted murder.

So getting drunk, is the same as assault, because sometimes drunks get in fights?

[tim_n]

infact a sip of alcohol has been known to have effects upto 45 minutes - it only takes a trace amount! Though this might not be enough to send you over the limit, it'll probably cause enough of a reaction that they'll wonder why you've been lying.

One of my friends does drink driving tests and has a few breathalisers in his car - a fair number of the machines give different results. Unfortunately there is a problem in mass producing these sensors, and mild surface dirt screws them completely. What annoys most drivers is having to make an additional stop at the police station for a blood test.

btw, pennies under the tongue don't work ;- )

tbh, if given the choice I'd not like to put the doubt into their minds about the amount of alcohol in my breath compared to the amount absorbed.

Personally, I abhor drink driving - I know no-one who has died as a result, but it's the principle that offends me - cars are weapons. I can have a pint and drive safely imho, fortunately I'm only 10 mins drive (45 minute walk) from my house.

[Rave]

I'm a serious heavy drinker, and as a result I have a pretty high tolerance for alcohol. Nowadays I can drink a bottle of wine and barely notice. I wouldn't drive on that of course, but I'm not going to feel guilty about drinking a couple of pints, sobering up for an hour and then getting behind the wheel. Blood alcohol wise I'm under the limit, and even slightly impaired I'm a safer driver than most.

I've driven like that (I.E. a couple of pints, then sober up for a bit) literally dozens of times and never even come close to having an accident. IMO the problem drink drivers are the rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbishrubbish who get arrogant and drive more aggresively when they're drunk. I'm a careful driver anyway, and if I know I've some alcohol in my system I'm even more careful.

If the law was changed to reduce the legal limit I suppose I'd have to make sure that I didn't drink at all. What that means though is that (say) if we go out to a restaurant and I'm the driver, I can't even have a pint and a glass of wine with my meal, and that would be a shame. I really don't think that I'm the problem. FWIW, nowadays I don't smoke behind the wheel because I know from experience that cigarettes have far more of a negative effect on my car control than a moderate amount of alcohol does.

[Howard]

I'm also a careful driver, and I can also quite happily get behind the wheel after having one or two pints. I don't drive like a loon, and my reaction times aren't increased. I assume we're talking here about people who drink to the point of becoming drunk, then drive? That's lunacy imo

[badass]

I assumed driving into a wall was the drivers fault. I guess if the wall jumped out....

Where did I say anything about a wall
Non fault accidents can happen when a person is not drunk. Therefore someone who is over the limit can have an accident that is not their fault. The gov't sees this so if this happens the person only gets punished for the drink driving.

[badass]

I personally believe drink driving is on a par with attempted murder.

Good thing you dont make government policy then.

[badass]

The rules and methods of enforcing drink driving is inheriently and badly flawed.

You cannot measure accurately the amount of alcohol that will affect everybody, neither can you actually test for it on the roadside.

Here's the scenario. I pull onto the side of the road and spay some breath freshner into my mouth before moving on to pick up my date who's just round the corner. As I pull off, I get stopped and roadside tested. Because I have alcohol on my breath, I can easily trip the breathaliser. I've drunk no alcohol and I'm not drunk. Similarly if I leave the pub after drinking half a beer, any reading taken within 30mins is likely to be a false positive.

Scenario two, I drink a pint, my girlfriend drinks a half, now who should drive? My girlfriend is paraletic on a half, I on the otherhand I am fine.

Either which way, tiredness is _probably_ a bigger killer in conjunction with alcohol!

I'd rather see: More police, better training and more power to stop wrong doers.

I'd even like to see pub landlords have greater power - perhaps issuing a driving ban to someone who drinks in their pub over the limit for a number of hours afterwards. In the result of an accident or the driver being pulled over there could be no excuse that they didn't know they were over the limit. Unfortunately something like that would require state enforced ID cards which I'd rather never saw the light of day!

Firstly, you can ask to have your breathalysation delayed for up to 20 mins.
Secondly, coming from the horses mouth* It takes about 5 mins, tops for the increases readings from even necking a shot of spirits to go back down to the normal level.

The best way to reduce drink driving is to put more Police and less cameras on the roads.

*A policeman who has arrested numerous drunk drivers and as part of their training IIRC one of them drunk a shot and blew into the Breath alcohol machine several times. After 5 mins the reading did not change.

[Big RICHARD]

Good thing you dont make government policy then.

Maybe it is, but drink driving is such a selfish and dangerous act that it is much more serious than it is treated by our legal system.

So getting drunk, is the same as assault, because sometimes drunks get in fights?

What?

[Mike Fishcake]

How can you actually measure peoples tolerance to alcohol though? You may *think* you have a better tolerance to alcohol, but even if you have one, your reaction time will be reduced to a certain extent. There has to be limits set, because personal judgement and opinion isn't as rock solid as hard evidence. If they can *prove* someone was over the limit - they have the ability to prove it. However, if it's down to the opinion of the police officer who said "they looked a bit too drunk" then they don't have the stats to prove that they were beyond control.

I think people should just stop whining about it TBH. You don't *have* to drink alcohol. If you have to drive, you have to drive. Are you so hung up about ordering a non-intoxicating drink that you need to have one, even if you're driving.

Looking at it scientifically, you're consuming something that slows down your responses, then getting into a gigantic machine which requires your full concentration to operate.

In a way it's sad that some people feel that they *have* to drink alcohol to have a great time. I'm not teetotal, but a lot of it does seem to be macho bulls**t, getting the mick taken out of you from your mates because you're not drinking. I just don't see the point in getting plastered out of your brain.

[Howard]

In a way it's sad that some people feel that they *have* to drink alcohol to have a great time. I'm not teetotal, but a lot of it does seem to be macho bulls**t, getting the mick taken out of you from your mates because you're not drinking. I just don't see the point in getting plastered out of your brain.

I couldn't agree more

[badass]

Maybe it is, but drink driving is such a selfish and dangerous act that it is much more serious than it is treated by our legal system.

What a minimum 1 year ban for potentially only drinking a pint before driving plus huge fines? Up to 10 years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving. While something like not paying attention that can just as easily kill gets nothing apart from a fault accident on your record.

What?

You seem to have decided that because in some cases, some people that drink drive can kill when they wouldn't without the Alcohol it should be treated as attempted murder.
Following that completely ridiculous logic, anyone that drinks should be automatically done for assault as people can get more violent after drinks.

[herulach]

What a minimum 1 year ban for potentially only drinking a pint before driving plus huge fines? Up to 10 years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving. While something like not paying attention that can just as easily kill gets nothing apart from a fault accident on your record.

You can get dangerous driving if youre sober

You seem to have decided that because in some cases, some people that drink drive can kill when they wouldn't without the Alcohol it should be treated as attempted murder.
Following that completely ridiculous logic, anyone that drinks should be automatically done for assault as people can get more violent after drinks.

Again, what? Its entirely not the same thing, i think the analog would maybe be getting drunk then getting a gun, although its somewhat easier to kill someone with a car.

[badass]

You can get dangerous driving if youre sober

I was pointing out how severe the punishments already are for drink driving

Again, what? Its entirely not the same thing, i think the analog would maybe be getting drunk then getting a gun, although its somewhat easier to kill someone with a car.

It is the same thing. He is suggesting the punishment being the same as the punishment for the worst possible result of the actions. That is absurd.
The worst possible result of getting drunk could also end in manslaughter/murder.

[Steven W]

In my younger days I'm ashamed to say that I was caught for drink driving. I received a year and half ban and a £700 fine.

It totally changed my work life as I relied on the car so I had to take a new direction.

I thought the punishment was deserved and fair.

I certainly wouldn't drink drive again.

[Mike Fishcake]

In my younger days I'm ashamed to say that I was caught for drink driving. I received a year and half ban and a £700 fine.

It totally changed my work life as I relied on the car so I had to take a new direction.

I thought the punishment was deserved and fair.

I certainly wouldn't drink drive again.

Exactly the effect a punishment should have.

Much respect for admitting that.