Drinking and driving (Page 1 of 2)

Man, I feel for you. I quit drinking several years ago when I discovered just how much $$$$$ I was pi**ing away. I never drank because I needed a drink but since my work keeps me away from home so much I always ended up somewhere with a drink in my hand. Being away from home, I didn't have anyone to call if I needed a ride and I took more chances than I should have. I never was stopped and don't believe I was ever driving when I was outta control BUT, like you, I probally could not have passed a breath test. Kinda glad I give it up - also gave up smoking so I guess I'm doing ok. Best of luck to you.

Nela

KAP

I'm sorry to hear about your predicament ... I feel for you ... I'm a cop and the majority of the time you have people say they did nothing wrong ... I commend you for owning up to your mistake ... a cop has grounds to pull you over for even the most minor of infractions, i.e. crossing the double line (all you have to do is cross it once), failure to use your directional during a lane change or when turning, failure to stop completely at a stop sign (california roll), not dimming your lights to oncoming traffic, etc ... there a literally HUNDREDS of violations they can use to pull you over ... I actually drove behind a friend of mine one time long ago and he asked me to tell him what I could have pulled him over for ... after he got to where he was going, I told him I could have pulled you over for 4 things ...  and he had only driven about 2 miles ... but in your defense you might not have done anything wrong or thought you didnt do anything wrong ... the world is full of "bad" cops I know and they give the decent ones a bad name ... I hope Ontario is lenient on you but as you said, I hope this was a wake-up call for you ... I know how drinking and driving can effect a family first hand ....

Now my alcohol lecture lol

Alcohol effects people differently depending on their size, ability to handle alcohol, etc ... some may feel like they can drive but the BAC (blood alcohol content) in their blood won't lie ... and some people fail to realize 0.12 is 12% of your blood is alcohol ... when you put it into context it makes you realize that's quite a bit and it does take a while for it to get out of your system ... the rationale is 1 drink (unit) = 1 hour out of your system ... so if your hammering beers the alcohol isnt getting out of your system ... and contrary to popular belief, slamming caffeine wont sober you up ... now me, I'm a light weight ... I drink 3 beers and I'll start buzzing ... and I'm 6'2/205 you'd think I could handle more but not true whereas a friend of mine she can drink twice as much as me and will start buzzing ... go figure!

Bummer ... Reminder to us all Kap ... I hope all works out for you in sept.
                  Didn't know Mounties horses were so quick!!

p.s Good news I know few Jailhouse songs.   rgds  Mark

Good reminder.  Thanks for posting it.  Last party I was at, I took it easy and drove home afterwards.  Folks asked whether I wanted another beer, but I didn't.  My lawyer was at the same party and he was hammered.  He was camping there for the night, though. 

- Zurf

hi kap i hope you go on all right,i was pulled over once coming from a disco,the street lights were bright and i forgot to switch my lights on,it was'nt till i was driving out of the lights that that i realised i had'nt turned them on, next blue lights flashing,i pulled over ,i apoligised he asked me if i'd been drinking,i said yes,1 bottle of double diamond,he said i believe you thousands wouldnt ,and let me go,phew was my heart pumping.all the best....stay cool

Hi Kenny,

Sorry about your plight. It is all too easy at a party, to have sufficient alcohol to exceed the limit, although still be in full control of your faculties.

Reading through the penalties in your part of the world is like reading a horror story, they are very harsh. I can only assume that there have been a great number of tragedies through drink driving to have resulted in such draconian punishment.

I am going to a pub quiz shortly, so I think I will stick to a couple of shandies and Coca Cola tonight.

My thought are with you.

Roger

would be a very good time to write a song Kap.
maybe start it before court and finish it after the case. then you will have all your feeling wrote down while going through it all.

I have a thing about drink driving. I have seen many people harmed by it, and some were just over the limit and no more. Was it the drink to blame though? no one could say for sure. Sober people have bad accidents too, some a lot worse than a drink driver would do with speeding at 120mph and causing huge pile ups.

I used to have 2, sometimes 3 pints and drive an hour or so after it, i felt ok to drive but i bet i have probably been over the limit once or twice. In the past 5 years I will not drink anything at all if driving because sometimes when I drink a pint I can feel the effect of alcohol, I may be under the limit and fit to drive but I tihnk if someone feels the effect of anything in the slightest then they shouldnt. Oh how my mind changes the older I get, changing for the good though I think, or changing for the safer

A few folk I know still have a few pints and drive, some in ireland. they live that far away from the pub that it costs too much for a taxi and they are on quiet country roads so they think it is ok.

but good luck to you in court, I am sure we have all done what you have done sometime without even realising you were ( in the eyes of the law) not fit to drive.

Ken

Cell phones may be worse than drinking.  Phones are one of my pet peeves.

Ok, so ya'll don't like people using cell phones. Why? Where will it stop? Will the radio be next? CD player? What about the air conditioner? The defroster? You ever had to take your hands off the wheel just to blow the horn. Will that be next? What about life's greatest pleasures - picking your nose or scratching your a**? Is that soon to against the law? Hmmmm, better look at the dash to see just where the light switch is cause it's getting dark, hope thats not breaking the law.
What about driving to work each and every morning and seeing women putting on make-up? How many of ya'll drive down the road drinking your morning coffee? How about a cold drink? Eating a candy bar. Talking to someone in the back seat? Better not take my eyes off the road to check my rearview mirror - could cause an accident.

NOW - don't get me wrong. I'm not against safety. I got my 1st cell phone in 1994 when there were very few people using them - and I did get some strange looks while talking and driving back then. I just can't see any difference in using a phone while driving than searching for a good listening radio station. NOW I do have a problem with driving and text messageing, reading a newspaper, putting on make-up, people driving with a dog sitting in there laps. Everyone should be responsible for there actions but they are not.

How many of ya'll know just how this law came to be. Or the seatbelt law? Simply by the insurance companies lobbeying our trusted lawmakers to get laws passed because they think they may have to pay additional claims for accidents. It's about the $$$$$ insurance companies have to pay out and not about people being hurt or killed. The insurance company buy's off a congressman and poof a new law is born. Did you get to vote on this law? Were you just told this is the way it's gonna be so you better like it? What else are we gonna loose?

Did ya'll know some people are make a whole lotta $$$$$ selling the hands free units? How much of that do you think is getting passed along "under the table"?

Yes, making cell phone be hands free could be a great thing. My rant is where will it end?

Nela

Gotta go and buy some stock in the hand free accessories market.

It's ironically funny(i.e. absurdly stupid) how in my home state of Florida, a driver can be issued a traffic violation for not wearing their seat belt but less than 1/2 of all the school buses in the state aren't even equipped with seat belts. It's a stupid law that gives the police and prosecutors a firmer leg to stand on in situations that require probable cause. Still yet, my children, wife, and I  wear our seat belts . Not out of fear from the local fuzz writing us a citation but simply because we feel a little safer with harness' attached....I'm just sayin'.........

Hi  Nela,

firstly I agree on the seat belt law with you. It is your own safety if you do not wear one but the reason they did introduce it was so doctors and hospitals did not have to deal wit hso many serious injuries. It is a proven fact that seat belts reduce the amount of head smashing through the window. They also cause a lot more chest problems too!

now, cell phones! well, if you are talking to someone on a phone while driving your full attention is not on the driving, this too has been proven. Even if talking to a passanger in the car it can put you off driving but wit ha passanger in the car they can see why you are keeping quiet sometimes to consentrate more on the road. A person a the end of a phone cannot see what you are doing. And even if you say hold on a minute to the person at the other end so you can do something needing done quickly, you have a phone in your hand which will limit to what your hands can do at the steering wheel.
I am all for banning phones in cars, even hands free. in fact I would just ban all mobile phones and get back to the good days when we never had any, give me a CB radio anyday.

Now another question....where will it stop??? good question! I would ban smoking from cars, I would ban make up from cars, Noisy kids from cars, people that go 20% over any speed limit, ( yep, im banning myself here ) dogs that run about the seats should also be banned.

Cars can be very dangerous things and if all these were cut out they would be safer for the driver other drivers, cyclists and pedestrains.

Ken

Tim,
   I meant no disrepect to your or your fellow officers with my "fuzz" reference. I have the utmost respect for what you do. I feel as though officers of the law and school teachers have 2 of the most important jobs in the universe. Thanks for your service. And I too have many fond memories of an old Ford Maverick. My very first car was indeed a Maverick!!( white w/ blue pin stripes, 2 door, straight 6, w/blue interior ) I saw one on the road the other day and I immediately remebered making out with a gal named Missy and throwing up all over the inside of my drivers side door. I swished my mouth out with beer (Shaeffers), chomped down a handful of certs, but the moment was ruined. She got out of the car and called someone to pick her up and I spent the night in the parking lot of my high school, in my Maverick, alone!

Peace and Guitars,
SouthPaw41L