Drink Cycling

DirkVoodoo

I'd never cycle hammered, but I often cycle after a few pints ( < 4) and find that the trip home sobers me up pretty well.

Cycling without lights is far more dangerous in my opinion than someone with 2 or 3 drinks on them.

AlmightyCushion

Orla K wrote: »

In fairness you can be done for being just drunk but how often does that happen.

My friend got arrested for being drunk. In fairness he was rolling around the mud in eire square at the time (it was during it's removation and it was all closed off).

S.I.R

Morzadec wrote: »

Just back from the pub. Had 4 pints, not a huge amount but certainly over the limit if I was driving. Friend of mine who drives just had one pint as he was driving, and it made me think that I hadn't even considered holding back on the booze even though I knew I'd be cycling.

Just wondered what people'e opinions are on drink-cycling, as I just cycled home tipsy enough. Not a long journey only about a 10 minute cycle, but seing as drink-drivers tend to be aligned with the devil himself, what would people's opinion be on drink-cyclists? At the end of the day I'm probably only going to do damage to myself and I was sober enough to be very concious of what I was doing, I wasn't swerving all over the road or anything.

But is it as morally wrong as drink-driving, just a bit silly, or no big deal at all?

if you didn't fall on your arse a million times trying to wheelie you clearly we're drinking enough

Xavi6

stepbar wrote: »

Funny you say that. Many a night in Dublin I cycled home p1ssed. I actually felt a lot more consious of the road as I was petrified of falling off. But that's just me.

No difference between that and -

Funny you say that. Many a night in Dublin I drove home p1ssed. I actually felt a lot more consious of the road as I was petrified of crashing. But that's just me.

Each as stupid and dangerous as each other.

Diarmsquid

I do it a fair bit, with lights and a high-vis jacket.

I find that when I'm drunk, I'm more alert because I know I'm drunk.

What's that term, self monitoring..?

Xavi6

Diarmsquid wrote: »

I do it a fair bit, with lights and a high-vis jacket.

I find that when I'm drunk, I'm more alert because I know I'm drunk.

What's that term, self monitoring..?

So is drink driving ok then?

Snowie

has ant one ever drunk skied or snow boarded ?

Diarmsquid

Xavi6 wrote: »

So is drink driving ok then?

For me, yes:P

AnonoBoy

Diarmsquid wrote: »

For me, yes:P

And this thread's Mensa award goes to........ :rolleyes:

carlop

Morzadec wrote: »

Just back from the pub. Had 4 pints, not a huge amount but certainly over the limit if I was driving. Friend of mine who drives just had one pint as he was driving, and it made me think that I hadn't even considered holding back on the booze even though I knew I'd be cycling.

Just wondered what people'e opinions are on drink-cycling, as I just cycled home tipsy enough. Not a long journey only about a 10 minute cycle, but seing as drink-drivers tend to be aligned with the devil himself, what would people's opinion be on drink-cyclists? At the end of the day I'm probably only going to do damage to myself and I was sober enough to be very concious of what I was doing, I wasn't swerving all over the road or anything.

But is it as morally wrong as drink-driving, just a bit silly, or no big deal at all?

I don't know how you can sleep at night knowing the danger you are putting yourself and others in, and I for one hope your cycling privileges are taken away from you.

CalmDown

carlop wrote: »

I don't know how you can sleep at night knowing the danger you are putting yourself and others in, and I for one hope your cycling privileges are taken away from you.

:pac:

I was thinking something along those lines. These people are so "out there".

Pyr0

Can you actualy be banned from cycling ?

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

javaboy

CalmDown wrote: »

:pac:

I was thinking something along those lines. These people are so "out there".

Don't you ever get tired of being banned Casey?

Morzadec

Kieran Ashy Barnyard wrote: »

1. I was knocked down by a cyclist, he was sober but cycling up the quays (Dublin) against the flow of traffic - I broke both elbows and left wrist and spent a total of 11 months out of work. He, probably like you would, took his bike up and cycled off.

Sorry about you're injuries but you're making a lot of crazy assumptions here!

Firstly I was not pissed, a little bit tipsy but not drunk enough to cycle against the flow of traffic?! wtf that's just retarded I don't think I could ever be drunk enough to do that. Also if I happened to knock someone down (which really I couldn't see happening seeing as I stop at every light) I certainly wouldn't cycle off.

Someone had a thread on here a few days ago saying that he crosses the street when he sees a black guy because he got mugged twice by black guys at night. He'd tarred them all with the same brush. Seems like that's what you're doing with cyclists here. Unfortunately you came across some absolute mental bastard cycling against traffic, doesn't mean all cyclist (tipsy or not) are going to do something as stupid as that.

Orla K

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

My friend got arrested for being drunk. In fairness he was rolling around the mud in eire square at the time (it was during it's removation and it was all closed off).

It happens but if your sober when the pubs/nightclubs close you'll see that it doesn't happen often enough. It's normally only the ones acting like an idiot:P or giving the gardai abuse that are arrested.

DirkVoodoo

For those having trouble distinguishing between drink driving and drink cycling, I don't advocate either but they are hardly similar comparisons:

Drunk Walking: 75Kg*4km/hr

Drunk Cycling: (75+12)Kg*20km/hr (cyclist doing a handy pace)

Drunk Driving: (75+1500)Kg*80km/hr (Ford Mondeo speeding!!)

You also have to factor in the more relaxed interior of a car versus the upright and less comfortable position on a bike.

Anyway, I don't think either is right and perhaps cyclists should be prosecuted more severely, but I think it's a bit much comparing the two.

javaboy

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

For those having trouble distinguishing between drink driving and drink cycling, I don't advocate either but they are hardly similar comparisons:

Drunk Walking: 75Kg*4km/hr

Drunk Cycling: (75+12)Kg*20km/hr (cyclist doing a handy pace)

Drunk Driving: (75+1500)Kg*80km/hr (Ford Mondeo speeding!!)

You also have to factor in the more relaxed interior of a car versus the upright and less comfortable position on a bike.

Anyway, I don't think either is right and perhaps cyclists should be prosecuted more severely, but I think it's a bit much comparing the two.

Mass and speed don't tell the whole story. That's a very simplistic way of looking at it.
A child weighing about 30kg can still cause a fatal accident if they step out onto the road and a car swerves to avoid them and ploughs into another car.

Terry

Andy Tangy Plaza wrote: »

Next someone will start giving out about drink walking ffs!!

Also illegal.
From my local rag last week:

A man accused of being drunk in public in Maynooth late last month is to appear at Kilcock district court again next week after his case was adjourned.
Joe Reilly with an address at Teach Muire on Gardner (sic) Street Dublin 1 is charged with being intoxicated in public at Leinster Street, Maynooth on 29th March.
His case was adjourned to 16th April.

From my drunk cycling days:
Cycled into the back of a parked truck. Think I broke my nose that time.
Almost cycled into the Royal Canal.
Was crossing the road and was hit by a moped.

Then there are all the falls and stuff.
My knees are ****ed from it.

DirkVoodoo

javaboy wrote: »

Mass and speed don't tell the whole story. That's a very simplistic way of looking at it.
A child weighing about 30kg can still cause a fatal accident if they step out onto the road and a car swerves to avoid them and ploughs into another car.

Simplistic I know, but you are getting into supposition and you can pretty much come up with any scenario. Was the child drinking?

My point was basically that a drunk driver is capable of far more damage than a drunk cyclist. Like I said, I'm not excusing it but I just see a clear distinction between the act of controlling a much larger vehicle going at a much higher speed when the driver is in the same state as the cyclist.

theCaffers

woah woah woah...why the offence to drive an animal-drawn vehicle - the horse aint drunk

javaboy

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Simplistic I know, but you are getting into supposition and you can pretty much come up with any scenario. Was the child drinking?

Doesn't matter whether the child was drinking or not. The point is that a pedestrain/cyclist/driver all have the potential to cause massive carnage on a road and just to themselves regardless of how fast they are travelling or how much they weigh.

My point was basically that a drunk driver is capable of far more damage than a drunk cyclist. Like I said, I'm not excusing it but I just see a clear distinction between the act of controlling a much larger vehicle going at a much higher speed when the driver is in the same state as the cyclist.

Fair enough. I'd disagree about there being a clear distinction though as the accident the drunk cyclist might cause could be just as bad as the one the drunk driver might cause.

Rusty Cogs 08

Xavi6 wrote: »

No difference between that and -



Each as stupid and dangerous as each other.

So driving home pissed is as dangerous as cycling home pissed. I imagine thus the fatalities due to alcohol linked RTA's involving motor vehicles V's bicycles supports this argument in that due to the comparatively minute occurrence of the latter, practically nobody must cycle under the influence making this whole thread redundant. Alternatively, someone driving say a SUV drunk does in fact pose more danger than someone cycling say a BMX drunk making your argument redundant.

javaboy

Rusty Cogs 08 wrote: »

So driving home pissed is as dangerous as cycling home pissed. I imagine thus the fatalities due to alcohol linked RTA's involving motor vehicles V's bicycles supports this argument in that due to the comparatively minute occurrence of the latter, practically nobody must cycle under the influence making this whole thread redundant. Alternatively, someone driving say a SUV drunk does in fact pose more danger than someone cycling say a BMX drunk making your argument redundant.

Stop saying redundant. You're talking to a recession victim.

Rusty Cogs 08

Common sense dictates it's about degrees. Drunk while

flying a passenger airline
worse than
driving a coach
worse than
driving a car
worse than
riding a motorcycle
worse than
cycling a bike
worse than
riding a skateboard
worse than
running
worse than
walking
worse than staying sober

Drunk cycling is not morally OK but the degree of danger it poses generally makes it more morally acceptable to the cyclist, the law and the public at large.

Gavin

There's drunk and there's someone who has had a drink.

Someone who is so drunk that they are a danger to themselves, irrespective of mode of transport, foot or wheel, shouldn't be on a public street.

Someone who has had several drinks does not present as much danger on a bicycle as in a car. The reason alcohol is dangerous when driving a car is because of the greater speed the vehicle is travelling at and the reduced reaction time of the driver.

A cyclist travels at a much slower speed, having more time to react so impaired reaction time due to alcohol has a lesser affect.

liamo

The arguments being used in this thread to justify cycling after drinking are so reminiscient of the same arguments that used be used about driving after a few pints.

... only a short journey....
... only a few pints ....
... I wasn't swerving all over the road or anything ...
... I was able to cycle fine ...
... I actually felt a lot more consious of the road ...
... I often cycle after a few pints ...
... I'm more alert because I know I'm drunk ...

Nobody using any of the above arguments to justify driving after a few pints would be taken seriously. And none of those argument justify cycling while unfit to do so.

And that post about drink-cycling "on the path rather than the road, in case of drunk drivers"? How on earth can you justify a drunk road user avoiding the danger of other drunk road users by putting pedestrians at risk? The mind boggles!

Orla K

liamo wrote: »

And that post about drink-cycling "on the path rather than the road, in case of drunk drivers"? How on earth can you justify a drunk road user avoiding the danger of other drunk road users by putting pedestrians at risk? The mind boggles!

That was me that that, it was half a joke. I really didn't want to cycle on the road because alot of people driving are insane when it comes to people cycling (someone tried to run over me before). Anyway the path was straight(could see anything ages before I got to it) and about 4/5 foot wide with nobody on it becasue it was near a fairly rough area so there wasn't anyone on the path(except me). There was one turn in it but even if I was sober I had to get off the bike first and turn the bike.

I've decided to go with what's legal and what I did was perfectly alright.

Zab

liamo wrote: »

The arguments being used in this thread to justify cycling after drinking are so reminiscient of the same arguments that used be used about driving after a few pints.

... only a short journey....
... only a few pints ....
... I wasn't swerving all over the road or anything ...
... I was able to cycle fine ...
... I actually felt a lot more consious of the road ...
... I often cycle after a few pints ...
... I'm more alert because I know I'm drunk ...

Nobody using any of the above arguments to justify driving after a few pints would be taken seriously. And none of those argument justify cycling while unfit to do so.

I think that comparing driving a 1.8 meter wide 1400kg car at 40kph to cycling a 66cm wide 14kg bike bike at 20kph is ridiculous.

recycle

Rusty Cogs 08 wrote: »

Common sense dictates it's about degrees. Drunk while

flying a passenger airline
worse than
driving a coach
worse than
driving a car
worse than
riding a motorcycle
worse than
cycling a bike
worse than
riding a skateboard
worse than
running
worse than
walking
worse than staying sober

Drunk cycling is not morally OK but the degree of danger it poses generally makes it more morally acceptable to the cyclist, the law and the public at large.

Whilst I don't wholly agree - i do like your logic.