What a moron

I was at a party round a friends house when I was 17, I wasn't drinking as I had to drive home and those that were had planned to do the sensible thing and stay over. Well our mates sister was due to come home and myself and one guy who was drinking had to move our cars. I think he had only had a few pints- over the limit but he was only moving his car within the drive way.

I backed mine onto the road to give him plenty of space and I watched as he gently backed up to the fence then stopped... then proceded to hit the fence so it was at a 25' angle. The look of horror on his face was priceless, then to top it off he panicked, lurched backwards and flattened the fence. Of course I did the honourable thing and ran inside and tell everyone so they could come out and laugh at him :D

Anyway his embarassment alone is a good enough reason for me to not even go near my car after a few :D
 
BigDannyO said:
Why do people who regularly drink-drive take such offence when told that it is just plain stupid? And if you only want to have 1 pint, surely you can go without :eek: and not have any risk AT ALL!

Well put mate, cos it's when you've had 1 pint and one of these other factors that you mentioned comes into account that accidents happen.
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I'm not taking offence :) I know my situation infinitely better than you.

After I've had a pint, I am no more likely to develop bad eyesite, just wake up, or start not paying attention.
 
Alcohol is generally accepted as a pretty sure fire way of getting you drunk. For centuries it has been used to do this.

Please can you explain to me then, why you would drink it if you don't want to get (and be truthful here) just a little bit tipsy to get over your hard day at work (or whatever)? And if it really is for the taste alone why not drink... dun, dun, dun!... a shandy. Or even alcohol free beer.

Really can people not see the plain idocy in drinking alcohol for the crack, and then trying to convince themselves that it has no effect? Is this not what it is designed for?!!! Jeez.... :rolleyes:
 
Of course it has an effect. How much though?

Alcohol free beer tastes awful, shandy is sticky and sweet. A nice cold beer is a wonderful thing. Do you want me to explain more? Is it hard to understand?
 
Obviously i would never be able to get you, or anyone else who drink drives regularly, to understand that no matter how little alcohol you've had it would still impair your ability to drive safely :o

What I don't understand however is why it is so important (potentially more important than your or somebody else's life) that you have the beer? I really do not understand? can you elaborate? I thrive on the stuff but i can manage to go one night if i'm driving without it.

I'm guessing it must come down to some sort of macho, alpha-male, testosterone proving, that you CAN have your beer and yet not have ANY affect.
 
Re-read my posts mate. Then re-read yours.

It's not that important to have a beer. It's simply enjoyable.

A lot of things impair your ability to drive. Talking about myself, I personally rank having a pint and concentrating on my driving to be below say, driving within an hour of waking up (which is socially acceptable and therefore OK??), scooting round thinking about something else, not having regular eye tests and appropriate corrective measures, getting old and slow, driving for more than 2 hours, etc etc etc.

Sorry, you aren't going to convince me otherwise. As long as it is legal to have a beer and drive home then I will.
 
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lordrobs said:
I'd say that driving tired has a big effect on your driving, more so than a pint.
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Thanks for backing me up on that one. As soon as you mention drink driving, a lot of people get THE RAGE but they fail to see the significance compared to other conditions.
 
BigDannyO said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/545224.stm

This guy murdered someone and got fined £100 quid and banned for a year.

so long as you keep doing it and i keep reading stories like this, my opinion of you and all those who drink drive will remain the same.
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He was 1.5 times over the limit. Which is actually a lot. We bought a tester from ebay to mess about with. It took my gf no more than a couple of glasses of wine to hit the limit but it took me 3 large cans of export and a couple swigs of brandy. I know it's not accurate but it gives you an idea. I wouldn't dream of driving if I was 1.5 times over the limit.

Stop being so obtuse. Two units of alcohol is exactly that. No more no less.
 
monkeyspank said:
Thanks for backing me up on that one. As soon as you mention drink driving, a lot of people get THE RAGE but they fail to see the significance compared to other conditions.
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And with so many factors effecting the way people drive, don't you think it is sensible to at least rule one, ie drink driving, out? Or do you think it's ok to just say "well somebody might be tired, so i'm gonna drink drive"?

In fact, going on your theory that everyone's driving around half-asleep, blind and playing with their stereos, don't you think you would be better off driving more alert, you know without alcohol in your bloodstream? :rolleyes:
 
Why do you keep making things up to prove your point? When did I say everyone is driving around half asleep etc?

My point is that having a beer and driving is frowned upon (or internet raged upon) by a lot of people, but when I drive to work bleary eyed, that's perfectly socially acceptable, cos it isn't .... gasp.. DRINK DRIVING. I'm still going to drive to work every morning.
 
BigDannyO said:
And with so many factors effecting the way people drive, don't you think it is sensible to at least rule one, ie drink driving, out? Or do you think it's ok to just say "well somebody might be tired, so i'm gonna drink drive"?
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BigDannyO said:
And with so many factors effecting the way people drive, don't you think it is sensible to at least rule one, ie drink driving, out? Or do you think it's ok to just say "well somebody might be tired, so i'm gonna drink drive"?

In fact, going on your theory that everyone's driving around half-asleep, blind and playing with their stereos, don't you think you would be better off driving more alert, you know without alcohol in your bloodstream? :rolleyes:
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I think the problem is your jumping between 2 different issues. I used the tiredness point because you said that no matter how little alcohol you've had it will effect your driving, which is true but I'd rather get in a car with someone who's enjoyed a pint and a half than someone who's just come off a 12 hour night shift.

You then start talking about drink driving which to me at least means someone who is over the limit. IMO the negligable effect that a pint will have on someone is completely different to someone who is drunk.

I will say however that my alcohol tolerance is quite random, I've felt tipsy after a pint or I've not even noticed the effects after 4 (probably because I don't drink much) so I personally don't take the risk and lay off the booze when driving. But I don't see the problem with a regular drinker having a pint which will make a negligable difference in the grand scheme of things.
 
Surely it would be more sensible to cut out something that has a more significant impact on driving ability? So shall I make sure I get 8.5 hours sleep a night, wake up, have a dip in the sub zero plunge pool in my garden, followed by a hearty breakfast encompassing all the main food groups. 30 minutes of soduko sipping green tea before setting off on the 5 mile journey to work. Making sure I go a different route each day to keep alert.

Maybe that would keep the PC crowd happy? More likely that they wouldn't even notice, but as soon as I mention a pint, it's all doom and gloom, statistics and murder.
 
monkeyspank, i agree that to outlaw tiredness and negligence on behalf of drivers is obvioulsy an impossible task.

But my question is, why add another reason to impair your driving?
Would you, for example, think it was fine to have a pint after you've had a long shift and then drive home?

Or do you only have one pint if you, as you put it, had 8.5 hours sleep?
 
About once a week I meet up with my buddy who lives about 10 miles away. We take it in turns to drive to each others place. The drinker pays. Snacks, beer, fags. We spend about 2 hours in the pub usually, and the driver gets home before 10pm. Also, for example I picked a friend up from a garage while he was waiting for his clutch to be done. We went for a pint and some chicken wings while his car was getting worked on. Then I dropped him off and we both drove home.

I don't work long shifts thankfully but I personally wouldn't top one off with a drink and then drive home. I wouldn't have a pint if I've been physically active and drive as it seems to hit me harder. I wouldn't touch a drop if I'm going on a long drive, including the night before. I don't drive if I had a skinful the night before.

I hope this gives you a bit of perspective, and an insight into my reasoning.
 
monkeyspank said:
I wouldn't touch a drop if I'm going on a long drive
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great, but how is this different from going on a short drive? You know from experience that you can have more close calls driving round your own town than you might driving 2 hours down the motorway.

I personally think that you not having an accident after a drink has nothing to do with your ability to hold a drink.
More likely, it is because you have never being in a situation where you needed that extra 'sharpness' that not having a drink would provide.

I do not mean to criticise your experince in driving, how could having never seen you drive?, and if I cause offense in this respect i apologise.

Personally I try to (and i say try cos it's not always easy, not having an ice-cold plunge-pool :) ) stay as alert as possible whilst driving. And i believe that one way of acheiving this is to NEVER touch a drop when driving.
 
BigDannyO said:
great, but how is this different from going on a short drive? You know from experience that you can have more close calls driving round your own town than you might driving 2 hours down the motorway.
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because driving longer distances in itself impairs my driving, as I'm sure it does for most people.

BigDannyO said:
I personally think that you not having an accident after a drink has nothing to do with your ability to hold a drink.
More likely, it is because you have never being in a situation where you needed that extra 'sharpness' that not having a drink would provide.
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i've been in a number of situations that have required quick thinking. One time I had had a pint and came across a car stopped sideways across both lanes of a dimly lit dual carriageway, on a bend, with it's lights off. I managed to cadence brake (no ABS) down from 70 to a slow enough speed to choose a direction, steer around the car up on the verge between the back of the car and the crash barriers (tight fit!). My passenger was amazed that I managed to avoid it at all and I discovered an unnatural love for Toyos.

BigDannyO said:
I do not mean to criticise your experince in driving, how could having never seen you drive?, and if I cause offense in this respect i apologise.

Personally I try to (and i say try cos it's not always easy, not having an ice-cold plunge-pool :) ) stay as alert as possible whilst driving. And i believe that one way of acheiving this is to NEVER touch a drop when driving.
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Fair play, I respect that. I have never doubted that having a pint has some effect but it's so minor that I generally don't see it as a problem. I like driving spiritedly, I love driving. If I have had a pint then I am well aware that I have had one and adjust accordingly, drive more carefully and leave myself longer to react by driving more slowly and further away from other traffic.
 
I think i could go and have a pint and be fine with driving...i think a lot of the statistics with "over the limit" could be with people driving to work the next day after being absolutely wrecked. Saturday there i got in at 4am and was soo drunk,i had work at 10am......i rode my bike to work the slowest i ever have since i was sooo tired and still felt bad. I had to sit down for the first hour of work. I wasnt riding on the road or anything so dont start but i couldnt imagine myself doing that safely in a car.
 
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