drink driving, would you do it?

Snotty · 06-01-2018 2:33am

Many many years ago a bunch of us were on our way to a festival and decided to break the trip up by stopping on the first night in a large town. We parked the car up behind a nightclub and went and got drunk. At the end of the night the plan was to sleep in the car, but the bouncers seen us basically told us to clear off. So with nowhere else to sleep, I drove full drunk, and I was steaming. I'll never forget it, I think it sobered me up enough to remember it, but not enough to drive well. I pulled out of the car park and didn't see a car coming straight at me, thankfully that car was turning into the car park I was just pulling out of. Anyway, I drove about 200 yards to the nearest place to park and that was she first and last time I will ever drive drunk.

Now I don't risk even one drink, but that is because I do not want to be caught and banned from driving, if I could have 2 maybe 3 pints and know I was under the limit and assuming I feel fine, as I would normal do after 3 pints, then yes I would drink and drive.

If I was anyway drunk or feeling the effects of alcohol, then no way, even if I knew I couldn't get caught, I won't drive as I know it's very easy to crash or kill someone when you are not 100% in control.

lalababa · 06-01-2018 2:33am

I drink drive regularly, it is legal and perfectly safe to do so according to our justice system , and fun. I do not over the limit drunk drive however which is illegal and deemed perfectly unsafe by our justice system.
I nearly got wiped out last month by a Snapchat err , I think we should ban media devices from vehicles. Anyone found with a media/social device in their car should recieve an automatic ban. Seriously.

fritzelly · 06-01-2018 2:39am

lalababa wrote: »

I drink drive regularly, it is legal and perfectly safe to do so according to our justice system , and fun. I do not over the limit drunk drive however which is illegal and deemed perfectly unsafe by our justice system.
I nearly got wiped out last month by a Snapchat err , I think we should ban media devices from vehicles. Anyone found with a media/social device in their car should recieve an automatic ban. Seriously.

Not my fault, got a Facebook message while driving, are you seriously serious

gammygils · 06-01-2018 4:40am

Drunk drive - Absolutely Not and Never! But Drink drive?...................

According to the Law I probably do it a lot of the time

Just had 5 cans of lager & I'll be driving around town tomorrow at around 12 - 12:30pm
I don't see any harm in this. I feel fine now. But according to Drinkaware I would still be over the limit.

I don't think that is fair either :rolleyes:

Junkyard Tom · 06-01-2018 4:45am

Lots of predictable virtue signalling when it comes to drunk driving. 'Oh, look at me trying to convince everyone I would never drink-drive so people think I'm such a good human being'.

Pfff. :rolleyes:

_Brian · 06-01-2018 6:20am

I used to work nights.
Had a 55 mile, 75minute drive home afterwards, regularly it was like driving home with 5-6 drinks, occasionally wandering onto the verge and forgetting towns, having to pull over for a 20 minute kip.

Gave it up and this was one of the primary fears, that I’d cause a horrific accident.

With a little bit of irony, I was on day shift when I finished after 13 years and on my way home I was tboned at a blind junction and nearly killed by a careless driver.

06-01-2018 6:45am

Given my age and that I grew up in rural Ireland, obviously yes. Along with most people I know who are my age or older.

Wouldn't do it now, pub less important, risk of being caught higher, cars more powerful and dangerous, taxis now available...the whole culture has changed.

_Dara_ · 06-01-2018 7:04am

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

Lots of predictable virtue signalling when it comes to drunk driving. 'Oh, look at me trying to convince everyone I would never drink-drive so people think I'm such a good human being'.

Pfff. :rolleyes:

Can't believe it took 36 posts. Usually this moronic sentiment rears its head much sooner. And boy do people love to latch onto new buzz-phrases.

Though we did get already the "Yeah, well, what about texting and driving?" post, as if it's only possible to oppose one or the other.

diomed · 06-01-2018 7:32am

It depends on circumstances.
When I was living in Africa in the 1970s I often drove after drinking.
All the population went indoors when it got dark at 18:00 and didn't reappear until it got light at 06:00. The roads were empty.

Tzardine · 06-01-2018 8:07am

I lived in Kuwait for a few years. Even though it is a "dry" country there is a massive drink driving problem. And I mean massive. And it's a bad enough country to drive in sober. Massive amount of death on the roads. We have 4.1 fatalities per 100k population. Kuwait is just under 19. Drink is a big part of this.

The funny part is that at the time, the police had no breathalisers. Because they took the view that alcohol was banned and therefore there was none. Complete head in the sand attitude.

06-01-2018 8:17am

diomed wrote: »

It depends on circumstances.
When I was living in Africa in the 1970s I often drove after drinking.
All the population went indoors when it got dark at 18:00 and didn't reappear until it got light at 06:00. The roads were empty.

That's pretty much it. You did a cost benefit analysis and decided it was risk worth taking, as I and so many did back in the day.

ezra_ · 06-01-2018 8:51am

Nope - never.
Had a close relative killed by a drunk driver so I will never drive after any alcohol or get in a car with a driver who has.

Virtue signaling and all that aside, it just isn't something I do. But I am lucky in that I have a great pub within a walkable distance.

Roger_007 · 06-01-2018 8:54am

It is perfectly ok to drink and drive provided you don't exceed the limits. I do it regularly.
I don't go to pubs but I do go to restaurants and would always have a glass of wine or a pint of beer with my meal. I drive home afterwards.
There is a reason why the legal limit is set at what it is. It is because it is deemed safe to drive under that that limit. I believe the limit is fair and I do not exceed it. I have been breathalysed three times after having a drink and have passed each time.
I know there are some 'fundamentalists' on this thread who would regard me as a 'drunk driver' and a dangerous idiot. They do not see any difference between what I do and someone driving after drinking ten pints. I am a rational human being and I can make rational and sensible decisions. I intend to continue doing what I do.

sean2591 · 06-01-2018 10:33am

Not any more - I hope not anyway. Have to admit I have done it before - not when I was totally pissed or anything but after a few pints when I thought I was OK to drive.

I did get caught and got arrested for it and got fined and banned from driving. My van is finished next month and have been looking at insurance prices and they are crazy especially as I only have a provisional license. So it is a big punishment if you get caught.

The crazy thing was that not long after I got caught one of my friend's brothera got badly injured by a drunk driver. It made me feel much worse when that happened. When I was talking to him about it and knowing I gad done the same. I'm just glad that I didn't hurt anyone or worse.

06-01-2018 10:42am

What’s scary is there are so few Garda checkpoints, yet so many people keep still getting caught.

Drink drivers are absolutely everywhere

I have only ever seen one checkpoint for alcohol, and I’ve been driving a very long time, all around the country

And to the lad who can’t go out and enjoy a meal without a beer. That’s just sad. 1 beer/wine does affect your senses.

Shenshen · 06-01-2018 10:44am

I don't and I wouldn't. I'm from a country which had much stricter laws and much, much stricter enforcement, so growing up the adults around me would not even have one drink if they had to drive after. Only one drink if they had to drive the next day.
I suspect I internalised that culture. Even if it were legal to drive after 2 drinks or more, I wouldn't.

Shenshen · 06-01-2018 10:52am

Roger_007 wrote: »

It is perfectly ok to drink and drive provided you don't exceed the limits. I do it regularly.
I don't go to pubs but I do go to restaurants and would always have a glass of wine or a pint of beer with my meal. I drive home afterwards.
There is a reason why the legal limit is set at what it is. It is because it is deemed safe to drive under that that limit. I believe the limit is fair and I do not exceed it. I have been breathalysed three times after having a drink and have passed each time.
I know there are some 'fundamentalists' on this thread who would regard me as a 'drunk driver' and a dangerous idiot. They do not see any difference between what I do and someone driving after drinking ten pints. I am a rational human being and I can make rational and sensible decisions. I intend to continue doing what I do.

There was an interesting bit about that on Newstalk only last week. They interviewed someone who had - as far as I remember - been involved in the lowering of the limit a while back. The interviewee stated that the reason there is a limit higher than 0 is simply because 0 cannot be enforced. You could be on medication containing trace amounts, or have a meal in which alcohol was used for the cooking, and that alone would be enough to push you over that.
When asked how many drinks would mean you definitely stay under, she answered that this can vary massively from person to person, and even day to day. Your gender, weight, fitness, health, age, and a number of other factors affect it. She then said that the limit is just that - a limit. Not a target.

Also, just out of curiosity: How did you manage to get breathalysed 3 times? In the years I've been driving, not only have I never been breathalysed myself, I've never even seen any guards anywhere breathalysing anyone?

06-01-2018 10:55am

diomed wrote: »

It depends on circumstances.
When I was living in Africa in the 1970s I often drove after drinking.
All the population went indoors when it got dark at 18:00 and didn't reappear until it got light at 06:00. The roads were empty.

All the population went indoors? And what about you, were you driving your car indoors?

How about now, under what circumstances is it ok to drink drive?

lalababa · 06-01-2018 12:45pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

All the population went indoors? And what about you, were you driving your car indoors?

How about now, under what circumstances is it ok to drink drive?

Ha ha, yea everyone was indoors except himself good one!
On a different note I feel descriminated against by the term and use and connetattions of drink driving.
What is drink driving? What is drunk driving? What is the limit? What is legal? What is acceptable? What is unacceptable? What is your weight, height, tolerance level, etnitisity ( can be a factor), shoe type , medication, Snapchat traffic level, tiredness level ( not, a bit, very, asleep,) , interest in getting that particular cd from the glove compartment, . In fairness though alcohol does impair one's driving. But there is a nanny state effort towards a zero limit. It makes me laugh when statistics such as "35 percent of fatal accidents have alcohol as a causitive factor" are trotted out by the state and media. Then Healy Rae asked them are you SURE they were a causitive factor. Then they have to backtrack and take out the word causitive. And it reads "35 percent ....alcohol as a factor".

freshpopcorn · 06-01-2018 2:54pm

First of all I doubt I'd ever drink and drive because I don't really drink in the first place.
However I know of a lot of people who'd drink a a drink or two. Well educated/good jobs etc(Firemen/nurses, who see what happens after bad accdients). These people would happily drive home after a drink and have meet MAT checkpoints and passed.
I'd love to know the statics of the amount of fatal/serious accidents that those who had one drink. They are a few people who we hear about in the media who's lives have being effected by drink driving but these people have always being way over the limit and one even had cocaine in his system.

Junkyard Tom · 06-01-2018 3:25pm

_Dara_ wrote: »

Can't believe it took 36 posts. Usually this moronic sentiment rears its head much sooner. And boy do people love to latch onto new buzz-phrases.

I was kidding.

TheAnalyst_ · 06-01-2018 3:40pm

Yeah, all the time. The trick is not to do it really drunk.

TheAnalyst_ · 06-01-2018 3:41pm

weldoninhio wrote: »

You are a scumbag. A guy I know got hit by a drunk driver last Xmas and was left for dead. Wasn’t found until the next morning, was in a coma for months then passed away. I pray you, and anyone else that drink drives, hit a wall and suffer for the rest of your days. See how worth it drunk driving is.

He wasn't scumbag for drink driving but for driving drunk, hitting a person and driving off.

weldoninhio · 06-01-2018 3:44pm

TheAnalyst_ wrote: »

He wasn't scumbag for drink driving but for driving drunk, hitting a person and driving off.

If he wasn’t drunk he wouldn’t have hit him. There is a reason why there are laws against it.

bucketybuck · 06-01-2018 3:44pm

I have done it in the past, less than 5/6 times and all a long time ago. Only once did I drive when visibly drunk and not in a fit state to drive. I still think of that instance and shudder to think of how much of a complete idiot I was, and how lucky I was not to cause harm or get caught. I will never drive again with so much as a sip of drink in my system.

Which is actually why I fell out with my brother in law at christmas when he kept offering drinks to visitors who had already said they were driving. Like, **** your stupid ideals of hospitality, they said they didn't want a drink so shut the **** up. :mad:

In other opinions, I do think its a little harsh to be targeting so many people the morning after, drunk and tired are not necessarily the same thing when it comes to impairment.

And I also would like to see summary driving bans for people who use their phone when in control of a motor vehicle. Its a ****ing epidemic and it needs to be properly addressed.

_Dara_ · 06-01-2018 3:46pm

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

I was kidding.

Ah. :pac:

JimmyMcGill · 06-01-2018 3:46pm

Used to do it 20 years ago when I didn't know any better. When I think of it now it's makes me cringe, I know what state I was in some nights and how I didn't kill myself or anybody else is a minor miracle.
I wouldn't judge anyone for drink driving once they were under control, some cant handle a pint others you wouldn't know they were after 5 or 6.
Drivers need to be aware and take personal responsibility for their own driving habits rather than have an across the board one pint limit imposed on them.

emeldc · 06-01-2018 3:49pm

Back in the 70's, 80's I regularly got hammered and drove. So did everyone. Even the ad on the TV used to say 'just two will do'. These days you're playing Russian roulette with your license with just one pint on board so I always walk the mile and back to the pub. I couldn't honestly say that I would never drink with a pint in me and drive though.

SimpleDimples · 06-01-2018 3:53pm

No I never have and I don't drink at all if I am driving even though I know I'll be under the limit if I only have one (rarely would only have one drink).

I won't get in a car with anyone who has either & have lost one friendship over their drunk driving.

redcup342 · 06-01-2018 5:43pm

Driving under the Influence of anything is categorically wrong, but in Ireland it's more complicated than that.

The recent campaigns (last 20 years) against drink driving have made it Taboo, which is great and 90% of people either say they'd never do it or stay quiet, the other 10% are people that don't really care that much, pretty much the same people that are fine with burning tyres in their back yard and dumping all their rubbish at the side of the road for the council to clean up.

IMO a lot of the people that say they would never do it, have done it or did do it and it didn't even register that they had driven under the influence (morning after)

In Ireland we confuse morality with laws a bit too much.

E.G.
1. Driving home after alcohol is completely wrong and is punishable by law.
2. Driving home after donating blood when you are not fit to drive is completely fine by law (as long as you don't commit a driving offence)

Both options are wrong in my opinion but from the General Consensus in Ireland would be that only Option 1 is wrong because it involves Drink Driving which is illegal and option 2 involved donating blood which is a good deed.

Would be better to somehow convey to a person how to ascertain if they are fit to drive

rather than them thinking "will I get a fine or banned for doing this"

drink driving, would you do it?

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