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Would you drink a beer or a glass of wine at dinner and drive home afterwards?

redcup342

Been wondering about this one.

In Germany,The Netherlands and Belgium it really common people will have 1 small beer, a glass of Wine or a large Radler (Shandy) when out and then drive home afterwards.

However in many Eastern EU Countries it seems it's not common at all since the penalties are so heavy (5000 złoty fine for between 0.2 and 0.5 and Jail time over 0.5) in Poland for example.

Czech Republic has zero tolerance.

I myself don't really like the fizzy drink options, not a big tea fan and hate paying for water so I'd usually go for a beer with dinner if its outside on a hot day or a glass of wine if its a good steak.

So what do you think ?
Should we have zero tolerance or is it ok to have a beer or a glass of wine and then drive home afterwards?

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Comments

GreeBo

Maybe the poll needs to be clarified.

I wouldnt go out, have a pint/glass of wine and get up and drive home.

However I would go out, have a pint/glass of wine with my meal and then drive home.

To me the two situations are completely different, so which is the poll referring to?

creedp

GreeBo wrote: »

Maybe the poll needs to be clarified.

I wouldnt go out, have a pint/glass of wine and get up and drive home.

However I would go out, have a pint/glass of wine with my meal and then drive home.

To me the two situations are completely different, so which is the poll referring to?

Doesn't matter as to most people all they read is "have a pint/glass of wine" and they are shocked at your callousness towards your fellow human beings

Eggs For Dinner

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

I can pretty much guarantee that (on a closed track for the sake of experiment) I can do better after 4 pints than a lot of people sober.
.

You're a more dangerous driver with that attitude than a fella who has a couple of pints and nurses his car home because of it

dr.fuzzenstein

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Where did I say I actually drink and drive?

Peregrinus wrote: »

It's a well-known fact that 90% of people are above-average drivers! Perhaps you're one of them?

No and where did I say I actually drink and drive?

Eggs For Dinner wrote: »

You're a more dangerous driver with that attitude than a fella who has a couple of pints and nurses his car home because of it

Where did I say I actually drink and drive?
Reading. It's important.

Just as an aside. I myself am very lucky that if I do go out and have a drink or two, my lovely wife (who doesn't drink) drives home.

If one reads my link carefully, I mention closed track, experiment and that my wife drives.
Maybe hard to read from so high up on that horse.

edit:
And the rest was silence! Funny that...

Podge_irl

The Backwards Man wrote: »

What's concerning is the lengths people will go to in justfying their choice of doing something that negatively affects their driving ability.

You can huff and puff about other drivers and what they do all you like, that doesn't change the choice that you are making.

Would you advocate banning new parents from driving?

Would you refuse to drive to work if something stopped you getting a full 8 hours sleep the night before?

GreeBo

Why are so many people insisting on turning this into a drink driving thread?

Are you people actually reading the thread title properly or just seeing "drink" and "drive" and engaging your moral outrage glands?

The Backwards Man

Podge_irl wrote: »

Would you advocate banning new parents from driving?

Would you refuse to drive to work if something stopped you getting a full 8 hours sleep the night before?

I'd advocate taking anybody that is unable to give their driving their full and undivided attention off the road, yeah. And I make no apology for it.

Podge_irl

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I'd advocate taking anybody that is unable to give their driving their full and undivided attention off the road, yeah. And I make no apology for it.

I would suggest that that would leave pretty much zero people on the road. Those few people who somehow manage it could only travel alone and in 20 minute stretches. It is an utterly daft and impractical barrier.

The Backwards Man

Podge_irl wrote: »

I would suggest that that would leave pretty much zero people on the road. Those few people who somehow manage it could only travel alone and in 20 minute stretches. It is an utterly daft and impractical barrier.

Yeah, well I wouldn't be adverse to a complete ban on private car ownership anyway, so it's probably unsurprising my ideas could be considered harsh by some.

dr.fuzzenstein

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I'd advocate taking anybody that is unable to give their driving their full and undivided attention off the road, yeah. And I make no apology for it.

Well, that could be anyone who's taken ANY alcohol whatsoever (including medicine or mouthwash), had less than 6 hours sleep, is taking any meds, drugs (of course) or is ill.
Furthermore, any distraction such as radio, phone, passengers, food or drink need to be removed as well.
It should only be legal to remove the hands from the wheel to change gear, or when stationary, the handbrake. Scratching anywhere or blowing the nose it out.
To ensure full attention at all times, electrodes should be wired up to the drivers sexual organs that give increasingly stronger shocks with every transgression.
The enforcement of this has to be turned over to a new, vicious Traffic Core which are on foot, bicycle, motorbike and car.
They should be paid incentives to catch as many people in transgression of the above rules. Generous bonsues for who catches the most.
Since any of the above have the potential to cause injury or death, minimum penalty should be €500, 6 points and a three month ban.
Repeat offenders to be banned for 2 years and need to redo their test. But only after comprehensive psychological and physiological evaluation.
This would make the roads 100% safe, cause no fcuker would be allowed to drive.
Elevated equines would be the only conveyance for the people.

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Yeah, well I wouldn't be adverse to a complete ban on private car ownership anyway, so it's probably unsurprising my ideas could be considered harsh by some.

Ah ok, I see where you're coming from. Fair enough.

power pants

I would ban people driving unaccompanied with l plates before thinking off banning people who drive after a pint

Also people using mobile phones are as bad if not worse than drunk drivers

I never have used my phone when driving ever. I am unable to multi task so I would end up head on into a collision causing potential death or at least Maimings and other horrendous possibilities

dr.fuzzenstein

I am 100% of the opinion that texting (or Facebook or whatever) while driving is far worse than a drink or two.

[Deleted User]

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

I am 100% of the opinion that texting (or Facebook or whatever) while driving is far worse than a drink or two.

Absolutely, but people are so brainwashed now that nothing comes close to Alcohol in terms of dangerous driving.

If I have 1 pint I'd be over the limit, if caught I'd be named and shamed in the papers, I'd loose my license and my Job, called a scum bag, I'd be a criminal.

Yet I can if I wanted text all the way from Carlow to Dublin and if caught the worst that can happen is I get 3 points and 1000 fine, that would sting alright, a 2nd offence could land you 3 months in jail.

Mobile phone use should be treated with the same seriousness as drink driving, "never ever drink and drive" should also say "never ever text and drive"

The Amount of people I see "looking at their laps" while driving is shocking.

Does the mandatory court appearance still apply if caught with a mobile in your hand while driving ?

[Deleted User]

i would and whats more id take the shirt off any man's back. bastards

Son of a bitch

My auntie and her partner live quite rural. Her partner often drinks 5 pints of Guinness and drives home. He's 100 kg (at least) and roughly 180-185 cm.

He might be pushing his luck or taking the piss though.

I'd only ever have a 330 ml bottle and wait an hour before getting in the car.

[Deleted User]

Generally no I wouldn't really entertain the idea because I'm usually half asleep after a drink these days. Did it in France once during a wedding. Small glass of wine to complement the lovely dinner and drove about 2 hours later through some small country roads at a snails pace.

I would say that was the exception to the rule for me. I have no problem with others doing the same provided they're aware of how a beer or wine will affect them on the road. I've driven tired after two 16 hour shifts once, definitely more dangerous as is using your phone. Drives me mental seeing people on their phones merging into the M50.

Yakuza

Five years ago I'd have said "Yes, one", now I won't risk it. Soft drinks or zero alcohol beers for me these days if driving home after a meal / night out. There's a fairly decent amount of them about these days that aren't absolute muck.
Now, if I've had a Radler (330ml of 2% alcohol) for lunch (2-3pm for example) I'd have no issue hopping in the car that evening (after 6pm, say) as it should be well gone out of my system.

[Deleted User]

I'd have two pints and drive straight after every now and then (no food), wouldn't bother me. Would have been 3 before the nanny state limit reduction to 0.5.

NoviGlitzko

I wouldn't, simply because I'd be too paranoid that I'd get done.

Eric Cartman

only because theres a higher chance of getting caught now. Under the old limit I'd have 3 pints wait a while and move on to the coffee / water and drive home. Now id stick to one and a then onto the softs. Im a big enough lad and wouldn't even feel 3 pints if I had a bit of food in me. Having checked it 3 pints won't put me over the 0.08 that the limit (Imo) should still be.

CalamariFritti

I often drive with 4 or 5 pints or more in me. If you can't handle your drink you shouldn't be on the road.

oceanman

CalamariFritti wrote: »

I often drive with 4 or 5 pints or more in me. If you can't handle your drink you shouldn't be on the road.

some people can have 4 or 5 pints and drive no problem, but others cant...that's the problem.

HappyAsLarE

Is there published research that shows how people that have had one beer/wine are more likely to crash?

Roger_007

HappyAsLarE wrote: »

Is there published research that shows how people that have had one beer/wine are more likely to crash?

Every accident where there are fatalities or serious injuries is investigated in detail by the Gardai. They never publish the results of these investigations in statistical form. The only information they release is hazy and unspecific such as "..alcohol was a factor in x% of accidents". This tells us nothing about how many accident are caused by drivers who were over the alcohol limit. It doesn't tell us whether pedestrians or cyclists involved in accidents, were drunk.
I suspect that the reason these details are not released is because they would show that very few accidents could be deemed to be caused by drivers over the limit.

Peregrinus

HappyAsLarE wrote: »

Is there published research that shows how people that have had one beer/wine are more likely to crash?

Indeed there is. According to this study, people with even a 0.01 BAC (which represents much less than one standard drink) are found in laboratory conditions to have impaired driving skills, and are found in observation of real-world accidents to be 46% more likely to be responsible for accidents than people who have not been drinking. In addition drivers with low alcohol concentration (0.01 BAC) who have accidents are more likely to be seriously injured than drivers with no alcohol who have accidents; this is partly because they tend to have more serious accidents, and partly because they are less likely to be wearing a seatbelt.

The data is from the United States, but I doubt that Irish metabolisms are that different.

V8 Interceptor

Depends on the person I suppose. Some people could still be under the limit after 3 pints but others above it with only one. Then there's the fact that someone with a pint or two could be very good reasonable drivers and others with no drink who are aggressive poor drivers who are always getting into "instances" on the road.

Trouble is, when having one drink there's the temptation to say "Ah sure I'll have another" and then it snowballs out of control.

Patrick2010

I remember watching this one morning, the show ended after Aidan Conney was still under the limit after 3 pints....

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054857647

I think motors is better for this than TV

This morning while watching ireland AM (I know) they decided to have a drink driving test where the got that annoying prat Aidan Cooney to drive a car around some bollards and then try the same thing after 3 pints

So we had all the drama of him drinking and telling us after one pint how he was feeling the affects "already", they also had a Doctor, Road Safety expert and a paramedic, telling us the dangers of drink driving. He was regularly breathalysed after each pint.

Pint 1 he passed the breathalyzer test
Pint 2 he passed the breathalyzer test

Pint 3 he got into the car and drove around the same bollards doing a poorer job of driving, as you might expect. Cooney got out of the car and told us how he could really feel the effect of the booze, so the Road Safety expert gave him the breathalyzer again and the result......he passed. The experts looked sheeplishly at each other and only the end credits saved their embarassment

This whole thing especially Cooneys antics telling us "how bad he felt" undermined the drink drive campaign in my view. What it did prove (to me) was that a big lad like cooney could probably they they could risk 4-5 pints and get away with it.

What sort of message was that to be sending to people?

Blazer

I barely ever drink now, maybe one or twice a year and a few bottles throughout the summer.
Went for a meal a few weeks back and left the car at home.
Popped across to the pub first to have a pint and i definitely felt the effects when crossing the road back over...felt half pissed in fact.
Before I'd had a bottle of beer or a pint if it was more than 3 hours before I'd drive but too risky now.

smelly sock

redcup342 wrote: »

Been wondering about this one.

In Germany,The Netherlands and Belgium it really common people will have 1 small beer, a glass of Wine or a large Radler (Shandy) when out and then drive home afterwards.

However in many Eastern EU Countries it seems it's not common at all since the penalties are so heavy (5000 złoty fine for between 0.2 and 0.5 and Jail time over 0.5) in Poland for example.

Czech Republic has zero tolerance.

I myself don't really like the fizzy drink options, not a big tea fan and hate paying for water so I'd usually go for a beer with dinner if its outside on a hot day or a glass of wine if its a good steak.

So what do you think ?
Should we have zero tolerance or is it ok to have a beer or a glass of wine and then drive home afterwards?

I'd never do it. Depend on my license so much it just wouldn't be worth the risk at all. Can't really understand the mindset.

smelly sock

LIGHTNING wrote: »

What a complete load of toss. I could have 7 pints and still be able to walk fine and hold a discussion but I wouldn't get behind the wheel. I assume after your 4/5 pints you are testing your blood alcohol levels? Its nothing to do able being able to "handle" your drink.

I don't believe him Lightning to be honest. I just hope if it's true he doesn't hurt someone or himself.