Drink Driving

[Shirls]

This is a topic particularly dear to my heart at the moment, and short of personally getting involved in anti-drink/driving campaigns, I would do anything to discourage people from even taking 1 drink and driving.

I'm just interested to know how many of you drink and drive...be honest now. I just heard one of the men in work (in his 50's) talking about a golf day out and driving home yesterday evening drunk and not even remembering what time he got home at or who was there when he arrived. Such a selfish attitude alone deserves to be punished.

So, how often do you drink and drive and what makes you think you are in total control of your car even though its proven that re-action times etc are reduced even after 1 drink?

[Michael Power]

My local is the Millhouse in Stillorgan. Most evenings you would be hard pressed to find a parking space there. Naturally, the law-abiding citizens therein are merely imbibing Club Orange, Diet Coke, or a jug of iced water.

Drink drivers are the dog-excrement beneath the shoes of responsible adults. They are the skidmarks on the great underpants of life, a carabuncle on the soul of humanity.
I find that this nasty practice is amazingly prevalent among young people. I know a whole set of people who think absolutely nothing of doing it.

My own view is that people caught drink driving should lose their licence for a minimum of five years.

Michael

[Anders]

After those kind words I don't think many people will step forward with their drink-drive stories...

In Ireland I don't think I have ever driven with more than two pints on me, and that's usually two pints at the beginning of the evening followed by hours of Coke. Essentially I should be within legal limits.

I can't say I'm particularly worried about drinking a pint and then getting in the car. There are many things that affect ones driving abilities. Do you ever drive when you're tired?

[Phil]

I have to say that I would drink at maxium 2 pints in a night. Normally I will have a pint followed by a red bull or 2 and say another pint.

I don't think I could live with myself if I hit someone in a car under the influnce of drink.

I know people who will drink 3 or 4 pints and think nothing of it. I just hope that if they have a crash, that they are the only ones involved.

Cheers or I mean later,

Phil.

[Astraman]

Major hiccup with logging in here lately but I'm back & as bad as ever.
Personally I wouldn't drink at all if I brought the car out for the night with me because once you have one or two pints all you want is more and it just wrecks your head.
On the other hand on a Sunday if I'm out for a drive I'd think nothing of having a pint or two but no more.I don't feel that effects me in any way but then again I'm not going to argue with the statistics.
There is one thing that you all forget here and that is that alot of Ireland is rural and there is no decent transport to get anywhere.Now if those people want to go out they basically have no other way other than to drive.My girlfriends family are from a rural area and I've gone down to the father in laws local with him a good few times and as far as I can see everybody there is drinking and driving.They never seem to have any bother with crashes related to drunk driving either.I think that it's mainly in busy urban areas where drunken drivers can cause an awful lot of damage and often do.

[Chancer]

I have to admit, that in the past I have taken over two pints and driven. That's was when I was young and foolish, and I'm glad to say is all in the past now. I think its a more acceptable practice to the younger generation (17-25?), and maybe the older rural population too (60+ ?). I think that the best way to reduce the figures is education. Young people should be educated before they're even old enough to drive. I suppose this should be done in early secondary school years, maybe once a year to drill home the point. Then when they start to drive they'll be conscious of the dangers associated with drink/drunk driving. And BTW, there is a difference between drink / drunk driving. Someone convicted of drink driving may only have had two pints and been fractionally over the limit, while drunk driving would be associated with an inebriated driver. IMHO there’s a big difference between these.

[Justin]

I drive extremely regularly under the influence of one drink. I virtually never drive with two - and then only with food or if taken ovber a couple of hours. I don't go out at all if I want to drink and I don't have a lift.

Does that make me "dog excrement"? OK then, time for a battle between the moral majority holier than thou brigade (sorry you joined up, Michael, but then its about time we had a bit of a skirmish in here ;)) and the tolerant, normal hard pressed citizens of middle Ireland hard pressed on one side by the Youth Defence types and by drug crazed hordes who are immune to the law on the other.

Is there any room for the non habitual single drink driver somewhere up the food chain from excrement? I won't defend drink driving, but I find it hard to get too excited about those who have a drink and stay below the limit. Its just not the worst and most pressing social issue we face right now.

[Phil]

Hear , Hear, Justin. Oh while your at it mines a small pint of Guinness. Just the 'one' mind.

Cheers Phil.

[Shirls]

<FONT face="Arial">I think its all to do with your mentality....you are of the opinion that having a drink and driving is OK....whether it be 1 drink or 10 drinks .... there is a risk that some time in the future you may decide that you can cope with more than 1, maybe 2, or 3 if you have a burger and chips. I'm am 100% certain that drunken drivers who have been involved in accidents, where they have injured or killed other people were once of the '1 pint brigade' and maybe just one time risked it with 3 or 4. Why bother having a drink at all? Educate yourself to strictly drink non alco beer or bloody tap water when you have the car...or take a taxi when you want to drink. IMHO drink drivers and drunken drivers are seperated by a very thin line, and on that line stands 2 or 3 pints ..... </FONT f>

[WhipLash]

Just on a side note…

Recently statistics have been released on the number of drivers found to be under the influence of drugs, cannabis being the most prevalent (where’s Pearse got to these days then?). I think this type of behaviour is becoming more popular among the younger generation, and there may be a certain belief that this behaviour is acceptable when compared to drink/drunk driving. The full story can be read in the News section (http://eForecourt.com/news) .



[This message has been edited by WhipLash (edited 24 May 2000).]

[Michael Power]

Justin, Justin, semantics, semantics.

By "drink driver" I refer to those among us who care not about the limits or the consequences of their selfishness. I do not include moral upstanding sentinels of probity such as yourself, whose sole fault in life may be to imbibe a singular tipple.

I am, therefore, pleased to confirm that there is a considerably distance between your excellent self and the emissions of a canine anus.

Michael

[BeCos]

Well last night I stopped in for my usual few pints on the way home. I had about 6 or 7, I think, anyway I felt 100% sober and had no problem driving home.

Today I have absolutely ZERO hangover, so there was no way I was over the limit. Some people get light headed and giddy after two pints, these are the poeple who shouldn't drink and drive. I know me limits and would never drive if I felt any way under the influence.

[BeCos]

I jest of course.

But I think the above is a common attitude and I agree that there should be a concrete distinction between the times you drink and the times you drive.

I KNOW for a fact that I would never be able to go in for "just one". I always want another. Thankfully I actually DO realise this, so I never,ever have the car outside the pub when I'm inside. Simple as that! http://www.eforecourt.com/UBB/angel.gif

[This message has been edited by BeCos (edited 25 May 2000).]

[SpyCamera]

I am one of the lookly ones. I only minutes down the road from my local in Naas. No car needed. :p

If I was drinking I would'nt drive. It's just too damn hard. I end up with drink spilled all over me! :D

Only joking, I never have more than 2 pints if I driving.


Spy.

[Astraman]

I think that most people generally find it acceptable to have two pints and drive and the posts here reinforce that view.
This is probably not a good attitude to have but untill the country has a better and alternative transport system to the car it will remain the same.

[Tony]

I once knew a guy who’d drink a few after work with no qualms what so ever. I remember that one night he got fairly tanked up over at Leopardstown race course. On his way out of the place, he took the first bend too fast, squeezed the car through the rails (there was one rail lying on the ground right at the bend, obviously a popular spot for drunk drivers to leave the road) and ploughed the car onto the race course stopping just before one of the jump fences. It sounded very funny at the time, but on thinking more seriously this is the type of behaviour that I’m sure still goes on today.

[SpyCamera]

Hey Tony, I told you never to tell anyone about my little cross country shortcut. :D :D :D

[WhipLash]

I heard from a work colleague about a drunk driver caught recently down the country. Apparently the Gardai spotted what appeared to be a bikes front light heading towards them. When the light got closer they realised it was a car, and its driver had a flashlight sticking out the window! Apparently the cars headlights were not working, and hence the driver held the flashlight out the window instead. The driver was also found to be way over the limit, and he was done for a number of road offences. Anyone else hear about this one?

[Astraman]

This is the exact story as reported in the Irish Times.



Thursday, May 18, 2000

Motorist used torch to illuminate road

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A driver whose headlights were not working drove his car while leaning out of the window with a flashlight.

Patrick McDonagh, of Blackhills, Glenealy, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty at the District Court to 34 road traffic offences including drink driving and driving without insurance.

Sgt Pat Cody and Garda Denis Reilly stopped McDonagh on February 12th at Ballinabarney. They found him leaning out the window and illuminating the road with a torch.

At a previous hearing, the defendant told Judge Donnacha Ó Buachalla that he was on heavy medication including sleeping tablets, heart tablets, panic attack and nerve tablets. "Some of these tablets are very strong and if you took a drink with them, they'd kill you stone dead," he said.

"We wouldn't want that to happen," the judge said.

At yesterday's sitting the judge asked McDonagh to commit himself to a reform programme. There was a place arranged for him in Athy to assist him with his drinking problem and he agreed to go there. He told the judge that his wife had left him for six weeks but she had returned with the children and had given him a choice. "She said I would have to choose between her and the drink," he told the judge.

The case was adjourned to July 18th to review McDonagh's progress.

[Justin]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Michael Power:
Justin, Justin, semantics, semantics.

I am, therefore, pleased to confirm that there is a considerably distance between your excellent self and the emissions of a canine anus.

Michael<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Gee, Michael, you say just the nicest darn things :D