Would you drink and drive if it wasn't against the law to do so?

rubadub · 02-07-2014 04:48PM

AnonoBoy wrote: »

No.

On a related note - would you slice the fingers off small children if it was legal to do so?

Is there much call for legalizing cutting childrens fingers off?

Kerry county councillor Danny Healy-Rae was suggesting giving people permits to drive after binge drinking* -and had a majority of support.

*binge-drinking now being defined as 3 pints in a row by various government agencies.

Kerry County Councillor Danny Healy-Rae has defended his call for rural people to be given permits that would allow them to drink "two or three pints" and drive afterwards.
Councillor Healy Rae's motion was passed at a meeting yesterday by a margin of five votes to three. The rest of the councillors were either absent or abstained.
He said that permit holders would have to keep their speed down and stick to infrequently used roads.
Councillor Healy-Rae said that providing public transport to and from the pub for these people is not ideal.
"I take people home many nights of the week, I won't say every night of the week, and so do other publicans," he said.
"But it's just that these people like their bit of independence and want to come and go when it suits them and to get their few messages and have just two pints, two or three pints. Three at the very most."

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/healy-rae-defends-call-for-drink-drive-permits-582035.html

I wonder if a cutting child fingers permit would have gotten the same support.

Mr_Red · 02-07-2014 04:50PM

A Greedy Algorithm wrote: »

We all know well the dangers to ourselves and others while driving intoxicated but would you drink and drive at all if it was made legal?

I would move Country

PLUG71 · 02-07-2014 04:50PM

NO!

josip · 02-07-2014 04:54PM

Back in my youth when I was used to drinking, I'd consider driving after a couple of pints.
I drink way less now and feel it affecting me after even half a pint, so I wouldn't.

02-07-2014 04:55PM

caustic 1 wrote: »

If there was that big of a difference then surely it would be ok to drive with a couple of pints.

It should be ok imo, I'd have the limit set to allow the average drinker to have around 3 pints. Sure most people are doing it anyway (in my neck of the woods anyway) so it might as well be legal.

An alternative would be an american style where people can prove they are ok to drive by carrying out a series of challenges. That would be very fair imo as it would mean the people who can hold their drink would pass while the people who are a danger after even one are put off the road.

caustic 1 · 02-07-2014 05:05PM

Lilyana Agreeable Pedal wrote: »

It should be ok imo, I'd have the limit set to allow the average drinker to have around 3 pints. Sure most people are doing it anyway (in my neck of the woods anyway) so it might as well be legal.

An alternative would be an american style where people can prove they are ok to drive by carrying out a series of challenges. That would be very fair imo as it would mean the people who can hold their drink would pass while the people who are a danger after even one are put off the road.

Can't see that working, there are not enough garda to police it anyhow so it wouldn't be policed properly hence why in your neck of the woods and many others most people are still drink driving. But I am sure to those who have lost loved ones to drink drivers would rather a complete ban, and I tend to agree.

michael.dublin · 02-07-2014 05:23PM

i dont drink and drive.... always stop the car in case i spill :-)

more seriously, no never

Chancer3001 · 02-07-2014 05:26PM

Depends how drunk I was.

Up to 4 pints I'd probably do it.

Tarzana · 02-07-2014 05:26PM

Not a chance I would.

AnonoBoy · 02-07-2014 09:52PM

rubadub wrote: »

Is there much call for legalizing cutting childrens fingers off?

I've been calling for it for years.

I have plenty of support from Wusthof, Victorinox, Mercer - pretty much the whole pro-knife lobby in general.

RFOLEY1990 · 02-07-2014 09:53PM

I reckon lots of people would as there wouldn't be the attached moral outcry everyone (rightly) has when they hear of someone drink driving.

jsd1004 · 25-07-2014 11:54PM

RFOLEY1990 wrote: »

I reckon lots of people would as there wouldn't be the attached moral outcry everyone (rightly) has when they hear of someone drink driving.

Here in Spain drink driving is as common as it was in the eighties in Ireland. I saw my local post man having a beer on the corner with the locals this morning. Difference is..they have one..and that includes the locals on the corner.

Dempsey · 25-07-2014 11:58PM

I would

B.A._Baracus · 26-07-2014 12:19AM

I would never drink and drive.
Driving is all about concentration and if you are pissed up you will make mistakes.

--LOS-- · 26-07-2014 01:27AM

If it was legal, ye Id probably have the one drink and drive, but that would be it. I am glad the law is there and I do agree with a zero tolerance policy coz most people are idiots. But I know my own self better than the law does, lots of people saying no are so full of sh1t

uch · 26-07-2014 02:42AM

I've In the past woke up so many times with me head out the window of a car after being sick, but I grew up thinking everyone did it, and they did, but nowadays its not so cool, so Defo would do it if I thought it would annoy some people. And possibly kill some Hippies

whupdedo · 26-07-2014 02:53AM

Had 7 pints since half ten, and I've driven home, it doesn't fit in with social norms, but I've a 4 mile walk, its not ideal but I know how it's done, slowly does it and no messing about

Snickers Man · 26-07-2014 02:58AM

Never ever get drunk and drive.

But a pint or two and you're grand. And the law should reflect that.

I think the "Two will do" guideline was much better.

And I'm all in favour of sawing off any fingers that are wagged at me for saying that.

Sir Arthur Daley · 26-07-2014 03:09AM

There will be adverse views between country and city folk on this. It will be a similar debate to the cyclist-driver debate.

Snickers Man wrote: »

I think the "Two will do" guideline was much better.

The problem with "Two will do" is "the one for the road" and one starts to get brave then and its "the one for the ditch ".

porsche959 · 26-07-2014 03:16AM

Lilyana Agreeable Pedal wrote: »

Also people really need to distinguish between driving after a couple of pints and driving while completely p*ssed. There is a massive difference.

A lot of Irish people have a fairly flexible concept of "a couple of pints".

jill_valentine · 26-07-2014 03:40AM

My dad's a firefighter, and you can tell when he's had a bad call, so that's part of the reason I'd say no. I wouldn't dream of doing anything with guns, heavy equipment or big blades in the same circumstances, so I'd never take to the road.

Anecdotally though, I do wonder, I think there's a much bigger stigma about it in my generation than the older one, because it's illegal. If it wasn't, maybe we'd feel differently - like when I hear somebody I know has driven drunk, I might as well have heard they'd pooped themselves in Tesco, so strong is the reaction. If I hadn't been "conditioned" to think if it like that by its legal status in my lifetime, maybe I'd have a different personal take, but I've no way of knowing.

I find it a bit mad how lax Americans of all people seem to be on this, going by their TV shows. It always shocks me. There was an episode of Parks & Recreation a while back, Leslie wanted to take Ron's keys because he'd slurped down three glasses of whiskey and that was considered "borderline". Borderline.

UCDVet · 26-07-2014 04:34AM

I would never drive if I felt myself to be unable to drive safely.

But the legal limit is an arbitrary cut-off that may or may not be relevant to any particular individual. There are also many legal things that as risky as drink driving that lots and lots of people do, even though they'd be the first to condemn me for saying this.

Being tired, angry, emotional, or distracted all have affects similar to or worse than drink driving. I know plenty of people who drive through all of those, even being medically sick. 'Oh, sure, I have the flu, but I need to get some medicine from the pharmacy....I'll be grand'.

Having the radio on, having passengers in the vehicle with you (every passenger added increases the risk of a crash), and children....I really do see some horrible driving from people who are focused on their children and not the road. Add on that many are also tired and emotional. Oh - and eating is just as bad too.

Google any of these things and 'as bad as drunk driving' and you'll find a report showing it to be true.

But yeah, I'd feel much safer driving home after a few drinks without wondering if I'm at .09 or .07 - I even had a breathalizer in college - but I can't vouch for it's accuracy. I would never drive at the point where I'd consider myself 'drunk' though.

Karl Stein · 26-07-2014 04:58AM

If I was drunk on wine? Yes.

Beer? No.

cletus van damme · 26-07-2014 09:09AM

Probably.
Can't be high and mighty cos I did it in other countries where it's not so illegal.

bnt · 26-07-2014 10:09AM

Well, I suppose it depends on when you ask the question.
Ask when sober? "Hell, no."
Ask after a few pints? "Sure, it'll be grand." :mad:
Which is why you need laws in a case like this, since drink turns down the common sense.

(Me, I've never drunk and driven ... probably because I've never driven.

)

26-07-2014 10:16AM

jill_valentine wrote: »

Anecdotally though, I do wonder, I think there's a much bigger stigma about it in my generation than the older one, because it's illegal. If it wasn't, maybe we'd feel differently - like when I hear somebody I know has driven drunk, I might as well have heard they'd pooped themselves in Tesco, so strong is the reaction. If I hadn't been "conditioned" to think if it like that by its legal status in my lifetime, maybe I'd have a different personal take, but I've no way of knowing.

I'd say that's part of it. For me, having driven tired when I shouldn't have etc, hammered home how dangerous it can be if you're not fully alert. It's all grand when everything is going well, but when it isn't, you're pretty fcuked

osarusan · 26-07-2014 10:31AM

--LOS-- wrote: »

But I know my own self better than the law does

The thing is that the people whose drink driving causes accidents think the same thing.

SVJKarate · 26-07-2014 10:35AM

A Greedy Algorithm wrote: »

would you drink and drive at all if it was made legal?

No

SVJKarate · 26-07-2014 10:40AM

punisher5112 wrote: »

When did you ever hear of an old age person creaming loads out of it on way home after few pints, it ended up they were more careful driving home and also a lot slower.

I was driving behind a slow-moving lorry which then drove off the side of the road and overturned into a field. Driver was in his fifties and clearly had a fair bit of drink taken. Driving slowly isn't a solution.

losthorizon · 26-07-2014 10:43AM

murray.eoghan wrote: »

i think it would depend on the road you want to drive on and how drunk you are.if it was a quiet country road then probably

Funny that as statistically main roads are safer than side roads.

Would you drink and drive if it wasn't against the law to do so?

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