Drink Driving

[Converted Steve]

Just been reading up on local news and I find it unbelievable, this year over the Christmas and New Year period Devon and Cornwall Police stopped and administered a total of 1,326 breath tests of which 167 were positive, refused or failed to provide.

This represents 12.5% of the total, up 1% on last year

One 28-year-old woman was over four times the limit (148mg) when stopped at 4:30pm the next day and a man who was again over four times the limit (145mg) when stopped at 11:00am the next day.

Several people were stopped with babies or children in the car and were found to be up to 3 times over the limit.

Most people stopped were hugely over the limit.

Are these people totally thick or is it that they just don’t give a s**t or care about the safety of their family, passengers, other drivers and pedestrians.

These are not new laws but people just aren’t learning

 

[Nondizzyblonde]

I am sadly not surprised. I have a friend, who regular has two large wines (175ml) and drives afterwards. She is educated, socially engaged, the first to pass comment on other people, but apparently doesn't give a sh*t.

 

[Anonymous]

I think people don't realise they are still above the limit the following day, assuming they've been out the night before, but to be 4 times over at 4.30pm possibly means they were drinking that day?

Also, people think they are "ok" to drive, so don't see the danger in it.

I don't drink and drive, but have been stopped for speeding - possibly a similar thing...going over the speed limit seems ok to the driver, regardless of the facts that it may not be.

 

[Grumpyowl]

Limit should be zero then there is no confusion.

 

[apb151]

Limit should be zero then there is no confusion.

Absolutely +1

 

[Converted Steve]

Limit should be zero then there is no confusion.

Absolutely +1

+2

 

[PerryGunn]

Limit should be zero then there is no confusion.

Absolutely +1

Sorry a zero limit just isn't practical - imagine having two or three pints after work on a Friday, not getting pissed, home early a good night's sleep and then getting banned next morning on your way to Tesco because your blood alcohol reads about 3mg/100ml

Any limit has to be sensible...

 

[original guvnor]

Limit should be zero then there is no confusion.

Absolutely +1

Sorry a zero limit just isn't practical - imagine having two or three pints after work on a Friday, not getting pissed, home early a good night's sleep and then getting banned next morning on your way to Tesco because your blood alcohol reads about 3mg/100ml

Any limit has to be sensible...

What Perry says. I think the current law is fine. People aren't obeying this one so changing it to a lower limit won't improve things.

 

[nightyard]

I'd not ever drive after drinking....so wrong! :thumbsdown: :evil:

 

[Maxsam]

"Are these people totally thick or is it that they just don’t give a s**t or care about the safety of their family, passengers, other drivers and pedestrians."

All the above...

 

[Converted Steve]

Limit should be zero then there is no confusion.

Absolutely +1

Sorry a zero limit just isn't practical - imagine having two or three pints after work on a Friday, not getting pissed, home early a good night's sleep and then getting banned next morning on your way to Tesco because your blood alcohol reads about 3mg/100ml

Any limit has to be sensible...

Totally get your point but the present limit is clearly not working if 12% of drivers stopped and breathalysed over a month period were over the limit, in most cases 3 or 4 times over the limit.

Drink driving is totally irresponsible and there is no excuse what-so-ever, especially when the local authority and the police ran huge advertising campaigns over the festive period, but still these irresponsible people didn’t listen or get the message.

It makes you wonder if the percentage is 12% at a time when it’s more likely that you will be stopped, what it is normally.

Maybe tougher sentencing would help, a 12 month automatic prison sentence to go with the ban

 

[PerryGunn]

The problem is that, while the majority of people are sensible, the hard core of drink-drivers will still do it no matter what the limit is

Perhaps the answer would be steeply graduated penalties, with things as they are for drivers who are just over the limit (say up to 10% over) and a rising scale of fines and bans for each additional 10% band up to, perhaps a 10 year ban and confiscation of the vehicle if you're 50% or more over the limit

 

[Anonymous]

Part of the problem now is people having a drink but thinking they are under the limit.

If the limit was 0, there would be no confusion.

 

[PerryGunn]

Part of the problem now is people having a drink but thinking they are under the limit.

If the limit was 0, there would be no confusion.

Yes there would, if you had a few drinks tonight what would your blood alcohol level be at say 7:30am tomorrow if you had to drive to work - could you be certain that it was zero?

 

[Anonymous]

Part of the problem now is people having a drink but thinking they are under the limit.

If the limit was 0, there would be no confusion.

Yes there would, if you had a few drinks tonight what would your blood alcohol level be at say 7:30am tomorrow if you had to drive to work - could you be certain that it was zero?

The only way to know that would be a home breathalyser test, but I don't know how accurate they are.

As the drinker, it would be your responsibility to know.

 

[Converted Steve]

Part of the problem now is people having a drink but thinking they are under the limit.

I did think the same, but I am very quickly starting to think that there is quite a large percentage of the people who get caught who probably know they are over the limit and are just chancing their arm and an even larger percentage know they are over the limit and just don’t give a s**t. So I suppose lowering the limit will solve nothing.

Let’s face it if you are very slightly over the limit then you could be given the benefit of the doubt because you don’t realise, but if you’re 3, 4, 5 times over limit, you know you are, there cant be any doubt, so you probably really don’t give a s**t about anyone or their safety, whether it is your family, friends, other drivers or pedestrians.

Harsher sentencing is the answer, prison and longer bans.

 

[budfox]

A zero limit is ridiculous. You could be over by taking a cold remedy the previous evening.

The simple fact is there will always be people who will drink and drive, regardless of the limit. Even if the death penalty applied some would do it. Why? because they'd be either drunk, believe they wouldn't get caught, or both.

In some states in the USA there's a death penalty for murder. That's the ultimate penalty and people still kill.