What a moron

Pug · 12 Sep 2006 at 16:09

BigDannyO said:
Hmm, cant help but detect the slightest hint of irony in this statement

as i've posted since, it was written in haste. My point being 2 pints in 90 mins wont make me a child killer.

Thats where the common sense bit was aimed at

BigDannyO · 12 Sep 2006 at 16:13

the problem is though that everyone always says "i know my limit", and its just utter rubbish. even after 2 or even 1 pint your reactions WILL be reduced, you WILL become more confident, and you essentially operating a 1.5 tonne weapon. It's only a matter of time before it all goes wrong and your the one who just killed some poor unfortunate sod.

I love my beer

, but i would never drink and drive (how moral

)

Pug · 12 Sep 2006 at 16:16

BigDannyO said:
(how moral )

pah!

BigDannyO · 12 Sep 2006 at 16:17

i'm a good boy

Behemoth · 12 Sep 2006 at 18:46

Well I found out how much he'd had to drink, in his words "Oh not that much really, about 3 pints of lager and 1 JD and coke"

What wound me up even more is that the little scum bag basically lied to the old bill by telling them that he wasn't driving, but some guy called Chris was as he was too drunk to drive, but Chris got out the car and made a run for it.

His hearing is on the 3rd of November.

BTW who wanted the spares ? The car is red

Cueball · 12 Sep 2006 at 19:20

Did I read the OPs post correctly? The guy has been through three engines already? What the heck is he doing?

It's clear to me that the guy could barely drive whilst sober, least of all whilst UTI.

atpbx · 12 Sep 2006 at 19:49

I've driven after a "pint" as in one pint of lager/cider whatever.
I really wouldnt consider "drink" driving

Behemoth · 12 Sep 2006 at 20:31

Cueball said:
Did I read the OPs post correctly? The guy has been through three engines already? What the heck is he doing?

It's clear to me that the guy could barely drive whilst sober, least of all whilst UTI.

Thats right, it was on it's thrid engine, the first one blew because the cam belt needed doing, the second one died also because he got it put in cheap and the origin of the engine was rather suspect to begin with. He has hit the thing numerous times, ran into the back of someone not long after the third engine went in. his driving scared me whitless when he was taking me home, never in my life have I been so scared in my life. He never once stopped at a junction to look or give way, he just drove straight through.

Dogbreath · 12 Sep 2006 at 21:03

Pug said:
I agree wholeheartedly about drunk driving, no way to condone it, but 2 pints of 4.1% lager in 90 minutes isnt drunk driving, wouldnt put me over the limit and wouldnt present a threat to others (that was my point initially).

To steal Simons line: Spoken like a true drink driver.

Listen up, it's not a competition to try and scrape under the legal limit. The law is in place to prevent cretins driving around with impaired judgement, which can happen well before two pints in many people. If you have that much of a drink problem that you feel you MUST drink and drive, then you need to seek professional help.

As for refusing a breath test, what a ridiculous thing to brag about. It dosen't make you sound big or clever. Do you realise that refusing to provide a breath sample is an offence?

Pug · 12 Sep 2006 at 23:15

Dogbreath said:
stuff

think of me what you will mate, if you knew me in real life i suggest your opinion would differ.

and it isnt illegal to refuse a breath test at the side of the road, without a period of waiting beforehand so check your facts.

Bragging? Please, i dont have an e-penis, just stating what i would do in a sitaution:

i'd just put my pint down, walked out and got in the car and one was requested of me. The alcohol would still be on my breath, even tho i would be well below the limit - you're entitled by law to a period of time for the alcohol to be absorbed into your blood (ie lungs), hence your legal right to refuse a breath test straight away.

As for suggesting i cant refuse a drink, or have a drink problem keep your analysis to yourself please. I'll have a pint and drive after IF I WANT TO. not "i'm driving therefore i'll get drunk". 1 pint of lager will not put me over the limit, and won't impair my driving anymore than a person driving a car older and less well equipped than mine to remain in control of.

I'd rather drink a pint and drive than drive a car without ABS for example, the diminishment in my ability after one will be less than the stopping distance of non-ABS...

In 12 years of driving i can honestly say i have never been over the limit behind the wheel, and, touch wood, never been involved in a fault accident.

dobbs2010 · 12 Sep 2006 at 23:22

For the guy that said he would refuse a breath test, here's a little info I found on a law website about driving offences.

What happens if the roadside test is positive, or you refuse, or you can't give the necessary sample?
If any of these happen you will be arrested and taken to the police station. At the police station you will usually be asked to provide two specimens of breath for analysis (using approved evidential instruments such as an Intoximeter EC/IR; Lion Intoxilyzer; or Camic Datamaster). If the two readings differ then the police must rely on the lower reading. If the reading is over the prescribed limit then you will have committed an offence and you will be charged.

You do not have a right to insist on supplying a sample of blood or urine instead. If you fail to supply a breath specimen at the station you will have committed an offence, unless you have a reasonable excuse. Being too drunk or unfit to supply the necessary breath specimen is NOT a reasonable excuse. A medical condition which prevents you from supplying enough breath for the machine to sample may be a sufficient excuse. If you have such a condition you must advise the police at the time.

Thought it was interesting to know.

Pug · 12 Sep 2006 at 23:24

granted, as i posted above, i'm sure you're allowed a period of time (15-20mins?) before you have to give a test?

Its not as if i was trying to make out you should drive over the limit, just that alcohol could be on your breath and skew the readings.

Its too late to look now, but i'm SURE you have a right to a period of waiting...

either way, they prosecute on the 2nd reading at the station, by which point the sensible "pint after work" will have long left the system.

dobbs2010 · 13 Sep 2006 at 00:03

Pug said:
granted, as i posted above, i'm sure you're allowed a period of time (15-20mins?) before you have to give a test?

Its not as if i was trying to make out you should drive over the limit, just that alcohol could be on your breath and skew the readings.

Its too late to look now, but i'm SURE you have a right to a period of waiting...

either way, they prosecute on the 2nd reading at the station, by which point the sensible "pint after work" will have long left the system.

Looking at various sources you have no right to a period of waiting, they can test you straight away, if you have just finished a drink then it may effect the test at which point the officer can wait for 20 minutes, as you stated, and test you again. However this is not a right it is at the discretion of the arresting officer.

dirtydog · 13 Sep 2006 at 08:02

paradigm said:
Not at all, infact they can quite happily work out if you were over the limit.

I will quite happily drink one pint or two bottles and then drive though.

It might be an educated guess but it's still a guess surely. I'm not saying that you're wrong and that they don't do this, as I have no idea. I think it would be wrong though. They might know in blatant cases but where do they draw the line? How "sure" do they have to be to get a conviction? Surely the only safe way is to base it on the blood alcohol level at the exact time of the test.

Cueball · 13 Sep 2006 at 08:27

Pug said:
Its too late to look now, but i'm SURE you have a right to a period of waiting...

Maybe in your little world, but in the law, you have no such right to a waiting period. Any such period is afforded to you at the discretion of the officer.

Stop trying to convince yourself otherwise.

By all means, next time you're caught by the old bill, refuse a test and demand on your 20 mins. Just don't complain when they arrest you and drag you down the station for a more thurorgh test.

jpmonkey69 · 13 Sep 2006 at 08:49

Pug said:
I agree wholeheartedly about drunk driving, no way to condone it, but 2 pints of 4.1% lager in 90 minutes isnt drunk driving, wouldnt put me over the limit and wouldnt present a threat to others (that was my point initially).

Pint of Fosters is 2.25units (4%abv).

2.25x2 = 4.5

If units of alcohol leave your body at a rate of 1 per hour of not drinking, then you still had over 2 units left in your system when you drove.

volospian · 13 Sep 2006 at 09:07

Pug said:
1 pint of lager will not put me over the limit, and won't impair my driving anymore than a person driving a car older and less well equipped than mine to remain in control of.

Potentially it will as the person driving the older and, in your opinion therefore considerably more difficult to control, will probably notice any hazard well before you and will therefore have more time to take the appropriate action.

Source
One Drink Can Make You Blind Drunk
Drivers beware! New research published today in Applied Cognitive Psychology finds that even having just one stiff drink can make you 'blind drunk.'

The study showed that subjects who were mildly intoxicated (at half the legal intoxication limit in the US) were heavily compromised in their ability to notice an unexpected visual object when they were focused on another simple task.

The phenomenon, known as 'Inattentional blindness' – where unexpected, yet salient objects appear in the visual fields but fail to be detected while subjects are focused on another task– has been demonstrated under various conditions, but this is the first instance to show that these visual errors become even more likely under the influence of alcohol.

The experiment involved giving subjects 10 minutes to consume beverages which, unbeknownst to them either contained alcohol or did not. The subjects then watched 25 seconds of a video clip showing two teams of three people playing with a ball and were instructed to count the ball passes. Part way through the video clip, an individual dressed in a gorilla suit appeared on the screen, walked directly through the players, beat its chest and then walked away.. Subjects who were mildly intoxicated were twice as likely to miss seeing the gorilla, even though it had screen time of over a third of the video.

Although the research did not directly test driving aptitude, the implications for driving could be serious. "We rely on our ability to perceive a multitude of information when we drive (speed limit, road signs, other cars, etc.) If even a mild dose of alcohol compromises our ability to take in some of this information, in other words, limits our attention span, then it seems likely that our driving ability may also be compromised." Says study lead author Dr. Seema Clifasefi of the University of Washington.

"If you've had one drink, you may be so focused on paying attention to your speed so as not to get pulled over, that you completely miss seeing the pedestrian that walks directly in front of your car."

Apparently 46% of those without alcohol in their blood stream noticed the gorilla, while only 18% of those with half the legal limit of alcohol reported seeing it. Which, if you ask me, makes a drink driver 3 times more likely to miss a hazard than a sober person, especially in areas where external stimuli are more pronounced, such as an area of SPECS speed control (where you will be more focused on your speedo), or a busy high street with lots of different things happening.

monkeyspank · 13 Sep 2006 at 10:03

I love having a couple of beers and terrorizing the roads, swerving around everywhere. Seriously, get a grip people. :rolleyes:

I'll have a pint of weak lager and drive home. I'll even have 2 if I'm eating or have been out for a while. A pint does not affect me enough to put me at the same disadvantage as people who don't have the right glasses, or just woken up, or just not paying attention. deal with it.

Pug · 13 Sep 2006 at 10:14

a voice of reason in an oasis of none

BigDannyO · 13 Sep 2006 at 10:25

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!

monkeyspank said:
I'll have a pint of weak lager and drive home. I'll even have 2 if I'm eating or have been out for a while. A pint does not affect me enough to put me at the same disadvantage as people who don't have the right glasses, or just woken up, or just not paying attention. deal with it.

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.