Drinking and Driving

[Ashes]

Should be banned altogether.....

In the UK, you are allowed a certain amount of alcohol and still be legally allowed to drive. I don't know what it's like in other countries, but I think it should be banned completely, and save everyone the bother of wondering if they are over the limit or not...

[DiscordantNote]

I'd stick this in the Debate Group, but since you're new I don't know if you're a member yet. Look into getting a membership, let me know when you have one, and then I'll move this there.

Anyway, in America it's a felony...so it's very illegal. You can still drive with a tiny amount of alcohol in your blood, but only a tiny amount (those under 21 can't have any). If people are worried whether they're sober enough or not, they should bring a friend who won't drink at all (a commonly called designated driver).

Last edited by DiscordantNote on Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Ashes]

ok, thanks, I'll be sure to apply, if you think it belongs there.

[xjox]

I agree, personally I don't see the point of going out and intending to drive home with even the smallest bit of alchohol in your blood. Either go out and drink as much as you like and splash out on a taxi or drink orange juice all night and drive!

The problem with things like alchohol and drugs is that you believe you are more capable than you actually are, when I worked at a pub a couple of years ago, I saw many people who were so drunk they could barely walk but still felt fit enough to drive.. I think it should be a complete ban too, and lets see it actually enforced once in a while!!

[Ashes]

I wonder why they dont just do it then?

Are there any prescribed drugs that would show up as alcoholic and could be mistaken for alcohol, that you can take and still drive?

[DiscordantNote]

I wonder why they dont just do it then?

Because it'll annoy the drinkers, I guess.

[hella nervous]

in america you cant drive if you have so much as a beer. and if you get caught and get a breathalizer installed, its super sensitive- mouthwash locks up (breathalizers, or whatever theyre called, are devices youre required to put in the car after youre caught, and you have to breath into it to get the car started. any alcohol in your breath = no driving)

[Ashes]

in america you cant drive if you have so much as a beer. and if you get caught and get a breathalizer installed, its super sensitive- mouthwash locks up (breathalizers, or whatever theyre called, are devices youre required to put in the car after youre caught, and you have to breath into it to get the car started. any alcohol in your breath = no driving)

Those breathalizers sound like a good idea.

[fzun]

I don't know about the rest of the US, but in Florida you're only allowed to have a certain amount of alochol in your system while you drive. I forget the number, but it's like, 2 or 3 shots max. If you get pulled over and the alochol blood is over the certain number they throw ya in jail *shrugs*

[Twinkle]

in america you cant drive if you have so much as a beer. and if you get caught and get a breathalizer installed, its super sensitive- mouthwash locks up (breathalizers, or whatever theyre called, are devices youre required to put in the car after youre caught, and you have to breath into it to get the car started. any alcohol in your breath = no driving)

That's a really good idea.

My dad has this problem. He doesn't drink often and he never drinks and drives but he got stopped on the way back from work once, he got breathalised and the alchohol was still in his system from the night before. They didn't charge him because it was a very small amount and he was perfectly safe to drive. It's just odd that some people retain alchohol in their system long after they've finished drinking.

[hella nervous]

in america you cant drive if you have so much as a beer. and if you get caught and get a breathalizer installed, its super sensitive- mouthwash locks up (breathalizers, or whatever theyre called, are devices youre required to put in the car after youre caught, and you have to breath into it to get the car started. any alcohol in your breath = no driving)

Those breathalizers sound like a good idea.

they are. unless you like being sober and having a minty fresh mouth...

[xjox]

in america you cant drive if you have so much as a beer. and if you get caught and get a breathalizer installed, its super sensitive- mouthwash locks up (breathalizers, or whatever theyre called, are devices youre required to put in the car after youre caught, and you have to breath into it to get the car started. any alcohol in your breath = no driving)

Those breathalizers sound like a good idea.

they are. unless you like being sober and having a minty fresh mouth...

We have breathalizers in the UK too!

I think generally its very easy to tell if it is mouthwash or alchohol that sets them off. The smell for one is a dead giveaway!:P

As for why the laws on drink driving aren't stricter, I have no idea. Where I live there are hundreds of signs telling you not to drive too fast, too slow, not to eat while driving, don't use the phone while driving... yet someone can still have 2 pints of lager and legally drive their car home... tis madness.

[Medusa]

It's just odd that some people retain alchohol in their system long after they've finished drinking.

Most of the time it depends on how much the person drinks, I think on average most people's livers can only break-down 1 standard drink an hour so if they've had a few it might take awhile to completely get out of their system. I personally hate driving the day after I've been out drinking, in fact I stayed at a friends place one time until a number of hours after lunch so that I'd had more time to break-down the alcohol I'd been drinking.

In Australia people aren't allowed to exceed a BAC of 0.05 (have 0.05 grams of alcohol in their body for every 100 millilitres of their blood) if they're on a full license. Learner drivers are not allowed any traces of alcohol in their systems and Provisional drivers can only have 0.02 (which is basically an allowance for alcohol contents that may be in meals, mouth-sprays, etc).

The general conclusion of scientists is that impairment of the brain’s ability to process information, make decisions and carry them out is evident above a BAC of 0.05 and markedly affected above 0.1.
http://www.science.org.au/nova/052/052key.htm

Using mouth-wash or anything else to beat a breathalizer won't work, chances are the police will just pull you aside and test you a short time later or alternatively they'll request that you take a blood test or something of the like. Police aren't stupid enough to fall for it and just let someone who reads over the limit but claims they've been using mouth-wash go.

[Asthaloth]

well, my dad used to be a lorry driver.
he tells stories.
one such storie involved an incredibly drunk guy in some sports car or another (porsche or somthing -doesnt matter anyway)
said guy in said car pulls infront of him one night (as in about a metre ahead) my dad swerves just in time to avoid killing the guy.
but not enough to not make his car a permanent fixture on the road.
hed crushed it utterly, the drivers seat and part of the engine survived.

seeing that would stop anyone from drinking again i should say.

[ahoteinrun]

My sister was killed in a drunk driving accident.
She and my nephew were driving home and the drivers side was slammed into by a truck. The truck crushed my sister and she survived for two days, brain dead, until she passed on. And her son was thrown clear. The truck hit so hard and destroyed so much of the vehicle that the back seat was litterally ripped out; and his car seat was thrown clear. He had a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing more.
People who drink and drive, should have their liscences revoked permenantly. End of story.