Do You Drink And Drive ?

[Mosha]

https://www.facebook...=timelineSingle

The car that runs a red light was driven by a drunk. The victims were on their way to school.

Yes running red lights kills people I am all for stopping red light runners.

The drunk hospitalised himself his passenger, The driver of the other vehicle, and 4 kids. One of them suffered a fractured skull, but looks like she will make a full recovery.

[richard_smith237]

I believe drivers who cross red lights, cross lanes, and fail to signal

prior to a turn causes more accidents & deaths than drunk drivers.

Agreed - But that doesn't make driving when drunk any more acceptable. You are simply identifying where a great improvement in driving standards is necessary.

[Radar501]

Actually if you actually knew what you were talking about you would know that drunk drivers actually survive most of the accidents involving death even amoung the deaths in their own car .... they normally kill others not themselves.

Only because you question my qualifications:

I have 30 years police including:

4 years Highway Patrol

6 years Accident Investigation

2 years Booze Buses

but that probably pales into insignificance against all your years as an experienced drunk driver

[StreetCowboy]

It's just part of life people get used to it , some people drive drunk some don't. the seriousness of the "crime" is a few hundred dollar fine ..... keep it in perspective and leave the scraping up of brains on the sldewalk stuff for you kids ..... the reality of it is it's not even a real crime it's a misdameanor the same a jaywalking or other minor offences.

Hae you managed to convince yourself yet?

You'll not convince anyone else here.

Of course, now you're going to have more to drink than you had originally intended "just to show them", so I am actually putting people at risk by posting this...

Luckily my kids are in bed now.

SC

[Mosha]

It's just part of life people get used to it , some people drive drunk some don't. the seriousness of the "crime" is a few hundred dollar fine ..... keep it in perspective and leave the scraping up of brains on the sldewalk stuff for you kids ..... the reality of it is it's not even a real crime it's a misdameanor the same a jaywalking or other minor offences.

Now you've convinced yourself, convince the poor buggers (In the UK usually the police), who have to scrape the victims off of the road.

Edited August 14, 2012 by Mosha

[StreetCowboy]

I really don't care dude , I do what I want and support others doing the same , I believe in common law not your version of what I should do or anyone elses ...... no harm no foul , if you harm someone else you need to compensate them, if you don't everyone should be fine.

I don't need aproval from anyone to live my life in a manner that harms no one just because someone else thinks it might. Or because others who live in a simliar fashion do harm people. Yell at them not me

You're struggling now, aren't you?

Of course, teh Common Law says that we should take reasonable care to avoid putting our neighbours at risk. And that includes not driving when our ability is impaired by alcohol. And to avoid differences in interpretation, 'reasonable care' has been codified into 'not driving when our blood alcohol level exceeds 50 mg per (100?) ml' (NOTE 1)- not sure of the units there, by the way.

In order to prevent accidents, since death and crippling incapacity cannot be rectified, we (society) punish people for putting others at risk, rather than relying on the threat of 'an eye for an eye' as deterrent.

On the bright side, I have managed to convince myself that I should consder lowering my tolerance limit for drinking before going home to park.

SC

NOTE 1 From a 10 second search: For the UK...

35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath; or

80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood; or

107 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine.

May be out of date; don't rely on this to get you home without prosecution tonight

[theblether]

Does anyone have the stats for Thai drink driving?

[whistleblower]

Drunk driving is disgusting, especially in a country like Thailand were taxis and other transport is so cheap. Hotels are dirt cheap as well so you could just pay for one and sleep it off. There is no excuse for it

totally agree, however, the taxi driver you take home is probably blotto too

[metisdead]

I've removed several inappropriate troll posts "justifying" the practice of driving under the influence and other sick posts. Somebody is going on a rather extended holiday, whether he sobers up remains to be seen. I drive a car, if I'm going drinking, the car stays home.

[Mosha]

No, but driving into town at 8:00 am is dam_n scarey, Stuck behind drivers who are swerving from side to side. Doing 40 kph on a straight piece of road.

[Radar501]

"most people killed from drunk drivers are innocent people"

Well, that's one thing you have got right, and that is an injustice when the drunken driver escapes with a scratch.

And the reason this is usually the case, is because the drunk driver's car is the missile, going too fast or ploughing through a red light and T-boning another car.

[StreetCowboy]

I've removed several inappropriate troll posts "justifying" the practice of driving under the influence and other sick posts. Somebody is going on a rather extended holiday, whether he sobers up remains to be seen. I drive a car, if I'm going drinking, the car stays home.

Duck! It's the Bill!

I was going to not post that, but it conjured up in my mind an image of a couple of blokes driving home from the pub; they see an officer of the law

"Duck! It's the Bill!"

"'ello 'ello 'ello. What's going on here then?"

"You can't just pull us over, officer, and breathalyse us, just 'cos we're black"

"It's got nothing to do with that, my lad. I had reason to suspect something was amiss when I observed a ve-hicle progressing with apparently nobody in the driving seat. My suspicions allayed, I was about to wish you a very good evening, but thank you for your helpful suggestion, sir, and would you be so good as to blow into this bag? If only there were more people as public-spirited as you..."

SC

[Bangkokhatter]

Does anyone have the stats for Thai drink driving?

Would be interesting to know. It certainly does not seem frowned upon here, the same as in the West.

I recently went to a sports day with my company with lunch after, most people drove their service cars there and the GM upon leaving announced he had donated 4 cases of large Leo and 2 bottles of 100 Pipers, much to every ones delight. So it's actually encouraged. I had a couple of cokes and went home .

[Rsquared]

I'm not defending drunk driving, but I abhor stupid driving.

As Real Deal stated, talking on the phone while driving is the same as being well and truly drunk, except while driving when you know that you have had a few, you are concentrating on driving, knowing full well that your reaction times will be slower than normal.

Talking on the phone......your mind is focused on the conversation....not on the road.

Everybody is affected by alcohol in different ways, some can concentrate....others can't.

Unfortunately the law has to cover the entire spectrum of drivers, and they have arrived at a number that suggests impaired ability and reaction whilst in control of a motor vehicle.

I confess that I have driven after a few beers, but I know my own limit, I don't need a machine to tell me what I can or cannot do......

.....I just throw they keys to my wonderful wife.

[Payboy]

Do You Drink And Drive

Nah, I just smoke and fly.

[stiggy]

Alcohol impaires judgement proven and simple fact.

So driving with alcohol will impair your stopping speed - reaction time- judgement.

Yup I have done it on bike many times in my early 20's here , then the penny dropped as people I knew started to die around me in Thailand.

Most deaths involved bikes no crash helmet and booze, also saw the effect on a staff member after her father was killed by a drunk driver here.

Do I drink drive now ? never more than 2 beer's (small bottles) but then again I'm 40 now and felt the need to grow up.

[brit1984]

I don't drink or drive

[Semper]

I never drink and drive, i despise those who do (i mean over the legal limit).

So, you're saying that the government knows how much you can drink and still drive safely?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I'm not defending drunk driving, but I abhor stupid driving.

As Real Deal stated, talking on the phone while driving is the same as being well and truly drunk, except while driving when you know that you have had a few, you are concentrating on driving, knowing full well that your reaction times will be slower than normal.

Talking on the phone......your mind is focused on the conversation....not on the road.

Don't forget driving while tired. That's every bit as bad as driving after a couple drinks. Of course if often goes together, tired AND under the influence which is really bad.

Other than that I agree that alcohol affects people differently, and the ones who go crazy (as in start brawls and drive like lunatics) cause most of the accidents. Others realize they need to take it slow, realize they don't need to add other distractions such as music, and know to take it really slow.

Another major contributing factor to trouble: other drunk drivers. When I'm driving at night and have a green light, I NEVER assume it's clear to continue. That applies just as much when completely sober as when I've had a couple drinks. As has been mentioned, some people go completely crazy, and I want to stay well out of their way.

And if I'm either too tired or had too much to drink then I don't drive at all. Easy.

I've removed several inappropriate troll posts "justifying" the practice of driving under the influence and other sick posts. Somebody is going on a rather extended holiday, whether he sobers up remains to be seen. I drive a car, if I'm going drinking, the car stays home.

Ah. I've seen it happen before that some people consider something a troll when it's just something they don't agree with. See that happen time and again in political discussions, and loads of members banned. Hope the above is recognized as a genuine opinion. Most would disagree with it, but that doesn't make it less genuine.

Edited August 14, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Semper]

Other than that I agree that alcohol affects people differently, and the ones who go crazy (as in start brawls and drive like lunatics) cause most of the accidents. Others realize they need to take it slow, realize they don't need to add other distractions such as music, and know to take it really slow.

[StreetCowboy]

I never drink and drive, i despise those who do (i mean over the legal limit).

So, you're saying that the government knows how much you can drink and still drive safely?

To avoid confusion, the government issues legislation that codifies the common law principle that one should not drive while one's performance is impaired by alcohol.

SC

[robblok]

I never drink and drive, i despise those who do (i mean over the legal limit).

So, you're saying that the government knows how much you can drink and still drive safely?

Im saying i despise people who drink and drive over the legal limit. I have had a family member got killed by a drunk driver. Do i believe the government knows how much you all individually can handle. Of course not. Do i believe that drunks think they can drive and that it only affects others and not them.. sure i believe that.

So while i don't believe the government can judge each and any case i believe that the law they made fits most people and that the people who think it does not apply to them are a much larger group then those who it really does not effect that much.

I believe (especially in Thailand) if you cant afford a taxi back after drinking you should not even get drunk or own a car.

[Rsquared]

As mentioned by WinnieTheKwai, tiredness is also one of the main contributing factors to accidents.

I can relate to this, as before I retired, I had a job that required 24/7 availability, and we didn't have a set roster like a timetable so to say.

We were often called out at all times and rarely got a good nights sleep, sometimes working through the whole night.

When it came time to drive home (80km) for me, on several occasions (in the middle of the day) I found myself fighting to stay awake....

......and it literally scared the sh@t out of me.

Once again......I know my limitations...some people don't know theirs, I now live in the sticks, so I don't drive at night sober, so forget about driving at night after a few..........for me it's common sense, not pc.

[richard_smith237]

As with Rsquared: I nearly dropped off on a long drive a few years ago. I'd had a good nights sleep, I'd not been drinking the night before... But, I found myself momentarily drifting.

It scared the crap out of me.

Common sense is key to any activity - shamefully its lacking in a handful of T.V. posters and on many of Thailands roads....

[robblok]

As with Rsquared: I nearly dropped off on a long drive a few years ago. I'd had a good nights sleep, I'd not been drinking the night before... But, I found myself momentarily drifting.

It scared the crap out of me.

Common sense is key to any activity - shamefully its lacking in a handful of T.V. posters and on many of Thailands roads....

Month ago.. was sitting next to the wife, she was driving.. fell asleep i had time to curse before we hit the concrete full speed. Car total loss, she had a broken colar bone and i got off relatively unharmed.

Im not saying that by not driving drunk there won't be any accidents, but im sure there will be less accidents. There are also no objective ways to test people for tiredness ect. There is for alcohol so its easier to enforce.

[richard_smith237]

As with Rsquared: I nearly dropped off on a long drive a few years ago. I'd had a good nights sleep, I'd not been drinking the night before... But, I found myself momentarily drifting.

It scared the crap out of me.

Common sense is key to any activity - shamefully its lacking in a handful of T.V. posters and on many of Thailands roads....

But... As evidence suggests we cannot all rely on common sense... We are subject to the lowest common denominator(s) and the carnage they can wreak....

Laws are there for a good reason. Follow them, a drink driver no matter how careful they are can beat the stats: Drink Driving does Kill innocent people.

[StreetCowboy]

As mentioned by WinnieTheKwai, tiredness is also one of the main contributing factors to accidents.

I can relate to this, as before I retired, I had a job that required 24/7 availability, and we didn't have a set roster like a timetable so to say.

We were often called out at all times and rarely got a good nights sleep, sometimes working through the whole night.

When it came time to drive home (80km) for me, on several occasions (in the middle of the day) I found myself fighting to stay awake....

......and it literally scared the sh@t out of me.

Once again......I know my limitations...some people don't know theirs, I now live in the sticks, so I don't drive at night sober, so forget about driving at night after a few..........for me it's common sense, not pc.

The trouble is that drink pushes the boundaries of our confidence as quickly as it brings in the limits of our ability. So you are far safer to say: Two and that's it... than "I feel allright just now..."

EDIT: Thanks, Richard - as you say "We can't rely on common sense" - when other people are involved (Ref many other posters, though obviously not you or I....) nor when drink is involved

Edited August 14, 2012 by StreetCowboy

[overherebc]

One of the major factors is that if you have been drinking and then drive, even if you make the mental effort to concentrate, you do not notice the small mistakes you make because your thought processes have been altered. All too often it's those small mistakes that make the BIG difference

[Nowhereman60]

No, I am not a fool.

[travelmann]

I always drink and drive, sometimes even swigging from the bottle whilst driving, my wife says its disgusting but I find if I ignore her she eventually shuts up.

That chocolate milks great aint it

At least its not as bad as my Coke habit, still what with the shortages recently, its only the last month or too the right stuff has been available, bloody flooding to blame.