But Officer... I only had one glass of....

http://www.gotfootagehd.com/thumb/HD-016/HD016-097.thumb.jpg
OMG!! :eek:







Just curious - How many of y'all have been nailed with a DUI?? :eek:
(Driving Under the Influence of alcohol)
If not, do you take special care to avoid that problem?

I feel fortunate to have never been DUI'd, but it's interesting how MANY people have. President George W. Bush got one back in the 1970s. Here in my state, a state Supreme Court Justice got a DUI!! In case you're wondering, no she didn't resign....

I'm not bragging. I feel lucky. I've driven under the influence of alcohol maybe once in my life - but I felt safe doing it because I was leaving a party that was about 3 or 4 minutes away from my own house. I remember thinking "Aaah, just a few blocks away - this is cake. I can do this." :D I did too. Not a problem.

You can play that when you're 21 years old and think you're invincible.

Would I do that today? Absolutely not!!

Usually, if I'm going to be driving home, I drink zero alcohol. In fact, if at a restaurant or bar and I have to drive, I simply DON'T drink anything besides soda or water. Usually if my wife and I are at a restaurant together, she'll drink wine or a margarita with the understanding that I stay sober and do the driving. Every once in a while while dining out, she won't want to drink and then I'll have one or two beers and let her drive us home.

Do you have a personal policy... or do you just go with the flow and use your snap judgment... or what?

I have never had a DUI.

I go out and drink on the weekends with friends, but I have never driven home after drinking. Once in a great while I will have 1 drink at a restaurant with dinner, and drive home. By the time I have my drink, and leave the restaurant I really dont think it is going to affect my driving. :bgrin2:

http://www.gotfootagehd.com/thumb/HD-016/HD016-097.thumb.jpg
OMG!! :eek:







Just curious - How many of y'all have been nailed with a DUI?? :eek:
(Driving Under the Influence of alcohol)
If not, do you take special care to avoid that problem?

I feel fortunate to have never been DUI'd, but it's interesting how MANY people have. President George W. Bush got one back in the 1970s. Here in my state, a state Supreme Court Justice got a DUI!! In case you're wondering, no she didn't resign....

I'm not bragging. I feel lucky. I've driven under the influence of alcohol maybe once in my life - but I felt safe doing it because I was leaving a party that was about 3 or 4 minutes away from my own house. I remember thinking "Aaah, just a few blocks away - this is cake. I can do this." :D I did too. Not a problem.

You can play that when you're 21 years old and think you're invincible.

Would I do that today? Absolutely not!!

Usually, if I'm going to be driving home, I drink zero alcohol. In fact, if at a restaurant or bar and I have to drive, I simply DON'T drink anything besides soda or water. Usually if my wife and I are at a restaurant together, she'll drink wine or a margarita with the understanding that I stay sober and do the driving. Every once in a while while dining out, she won't want to drink and then I'll have one or two beers and let her drive us home.

Do you have a personal policy... or do you just go with the flow and use your snap judgment... or what?

In other words...your wife gets tipsy then you can have your way with her at home.:D

When I was very young, I think I drove pissed drunk more often than sober. Now when I look back, I realise how awfully STUPID and criminal I was. Not only was I risking my own life, but that of others.

I was caught only once, driving home from a wedding, with my brother and his wife driving behind me. They didn't realise that I was drunk until they saw me speeding at about 50M/H in a 35M/H street.

By the time they realised, the police had noticed too. My insurence had expired, I was only 17, drunk driving and speeding. The officer asked who was in the car behind and he went and checked my brother and his wife for alcohol level and they came out clear. So he asked my bother to drive me home. Just before we took off, he leaned over my window and said these exact same words "young lady, if I wasn't in a good mood tonight, you would have been in deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeee..eeeeeee........eeeeeeee.......eeep ****e".

That was in California in the early 80-s :(:o:(:o:(

I have been pulled over and breathalised, once, and I was glad to pass it! That was when I was 18, and I wasn't in a great frame of mind. Nowadays I either don't drink anything, or limit myself to 1 pint if I'm driving.

In other words...your wife gets tipsy then you can have your way with her at home.:D

LOL! Aaah, Mano.... You see through my devilish plans every time... :D

..... Once in a great while I will have 1 drink at a restaurant with dinner, and drive home. By the time I have my drink, and leave the restaurant I really dont think it is going to affect my driving. :bgrin2:

Ariel! Be very, very careful!! :eek:

This is how a LOT of people get nailed, and I suspect most of them (or many) are women. Women's smaller physique means that generally they are MORE likely to show a higher blood-alcohol level than men, for the same amount of liquor consumed.

The only time I drink and drive on the same night is when I leave the home of family, usually my in-laws. This happens once, or maybe twice a year. I make sure to space the time between the last drink and when I start the car. Usually at least two hours for a beer. Plus a dinner. The nice thing about my family is that they have a big, spacious house; if I should ever need it, I have a place to crash. But things never get that bad. ;) lol

If I'm going to drive, I never drink anything harder then beer when I'm at someone else's house.


...The officer asked who was in the car behind and he went and checked my brother and his wife for alcohol level and they came out clear. So he asked my bother to drive me home. Just before we took off, he leaned over my window and said these exact same words "young lady, if I wasn't in a good mood tonight, you would have been in deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeee..eeeeeee........eeeeeeee.......eeep ****e".

Great story, Aline! You got REALLY, really lucky.
It's nice to get a wake-up call like that that leaves you "scared straight." ;)

Im usually the designated driver. It's not something that I have ever done, I have been in bars where bottled water is more expensive than a glass of beer. lol

If Im not the one driving then another one in our group is the designated driver, it's just the morally responsible thing to do.

I am not a big drinker but, like Aline..........back in the day lol!
I was lucky and too, back in the 70's the laws here were different than they are today.
Don't want to ever go down that road, so to speak.........I do not drink and drive!

I never, ever drink and drive. I don't drink often, but when I do, like your wife, it has a pretty big effect on me ;)

I've never gotten a DUI. Shoot, I've never even been pulled over!! *knock on wood*
I always have a glass of wine with my dinner and I'm fine to drive afterwards. I've been doing this since I was young so my body has built up a tolerance.

I would never, ever, ever drink and drive. It's amazing how many people think they are fine to drive after a night of drinking!! I've seen too much in our town because we have an Indian Casino nearby. :no:

I've never gotten a DUI. Shoot, I've never even been pulled over!! *knock on wood*
I always have a glass of wine with my dinner and I'm fine to drive afterwards. I've been doing this since I was young so my body has built up a tolerance....

Bellalove,

Be safe, dear. Be very careful. ;)


Now, this is what happened to a local woman who's running for office:

According to Velázquez, she attended a candidate forum in Ballard on Wednesday, then went to dinner, where she said she had two drinks with her meal.

"I stayed long enough until I believed I was not impaired," she said. "I do not believe I was impaired or I would have not driven home."

A Seattle police officer pulled Velázquez over at 11:30 p.m., police said, for speeding and failing to keep her car in the lane.

According to the police report, Velázquez's car was caught on radar going 50 mph in a 30 mph zone on Northwest Market Street.

:eek: :eek:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003959478_webvelazquez18m.html


...I would never, ever, ever drink and drive. It's amazing how many people think they are fine to drive after a night of drinking!! ...

EXACTLY! People lose their judgment - just like the lady in the article I linked to. 50mph in a 30mph zone??! I hope this thread reminds us that it's better to be safe than sorry.

My position on Drinking & Driving is....


I have had at least one DUI in my lifetime
I have never had a DUI citation in my life
I almost never drink and drive
I occasionally drink and drive
I never, ever drink and drive!! Why even go there??



Harrison, this does not make sense. On the one hand you ask for a position paper in regards to the act of drinking and driving, while on the other you ask if one has ever committed a specified act.

Your poll cannot be answered as defined.

Harrison, this does not make sense. On the one hand you ask for a position paper in regards to the act of drinking and driving, while on the other you ask if one has ever committed a specified act.

Your poll cannot be answered as defined.

You pick one answer that you feel is appropriate for your situation... or perhaps two answers. Or perhaps none at all.

You choose to give "a position paper" if you want. Or not to submit a paper if you don't care to.

This is not complex, Salt. Do as you see fit.

Harrison - about the article you posted in response to BellaLove...

If someone drinks 2 glasses of wine, it would almost certainly put them over the limit to drive in the UK. It doesn't matter if they wait 2 hours or 4 hours after their last glass before they drive, the amount of alcohol in their system will be the same. They would fail a test regardless of whether or not they feel more able to drive after 4 hours than they did after 2. You can quite easily fail a test the next day when you have been drinking the night before, after a nights sleep.

So, waiting a couple of hours longer after you've had a few should NOT be an option anyone uses if they want to avoid a DUI, which makes the lady in your example quite stupid, IMO. A least that's the way we work in the UK, and I'm assuming the way drink driving is dealt with in the US is similar. Although... I do feel that it is tolerated more here than the UK, sadly.

BellaLove is talking about 1 glass of wine, which is the amount women in general can drink before they would go over the limit. The problem is that alcohol can affect you differently depending on how tired you are, how much you ate, etc. I have, in the past, had 1 pint and felt it go to my head. There's been other days where I can drink 5 and not notice the effects!

I don't drink and drive, but I DO get stopped for speeding quite a lot ... for some reason ... lol. I've really been trying really, really hard not to have that happen ... it's that darned heavy right foot ... (heavier than the left you know ... :))

princessdy :D

TV adverts in the UK also seem to be really quite shocking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX1q66ruuBM

There's one worse than this!

Harrison - about the article you posted in response to BellaLove...

If someone drinks 2 glasses of wine, it would almost certainly put them over the limit to drive in the UK. It doesn't matter if they wait 2 hours or 4 hours after their last glass before they drive, the amount of alcohol in their system will be the same. They would fail a test regardless of whether or not they feel more able to drive after 4 hours than they did after 2. You can quite easily fail a test the next day when you have been drinking the night before, after a nights sleep.

So, waiting a couple of hours longer after you've had a few should NOT be an option anyone uses if they want to avoid a DUI, which makes the lady in your example quite stupid, IMO. A least that's the way we work in the UK, and I'm assuming the way drink driving is dealt with in the US is similar. Although... I do feel that it is tolerated more here than the UK, sadly.

BellaLove is talking about 1 glass of wine, which is the amount women in general can drink before they would go over the limit. The problem is that alcohol can affect you differently depending on how tired you are, how much you ate, etc. I have, in the past, had 1 pint and felt it go to my head. There's been other days where I can drink 5 and not notice the effects!

Rob,

Excellent points!! Thanks for posting that.

I think the best reason for waiting a while might be to improve your senses even if it does nothing for your blood alcohol level. This is assuming that you absolutely "have" to drive for whatever extreme reason you want to concoct.

If you objectively have good cognitive and motor skills while drunk, ie. you can steadily keep one eyeball on the speedometer and KNOW that you really are travelling no more than 30 mph... and you can keep the steering wheel locked in a fixed position while driving on a straight stretch of road, you'll likely escape the notice of the police.

I think I have done this before, so I know how it works. The problem, of course, is that even when sober some of us are far less coordinated than others. :eek: I'm willing to bet that Ms. Velazquez is one of those types, and when they take two glasses of wine, everything goes straight to hell.... LOL

As you suggest, the non-STUPID thing to do is to simply not drive at all if you have more than one glass of wine. Or simply decline all alcohol while at a dining establishment - which is my general rule. ;)

TV adverts in the UK also seem to be really quite shocking:



We have fairly shocking ads too here in Australia. I think there fantastic because they really do make you think. They make for some really interesting educational conversations with my kids when they question what there watching on tv.

OK Harrison I replied I don't drink and drive but just wanted to clarify that if I am out for the evening I will have the one to two drinks allowable over the course of the evening to keep me under the 0.05 (thats for a long evening) and the rest of the time is soft dink. If I want to drink I don't take the car, quite simple really, it isn't worth being caught but more importantly it isn't worth risking lives. I have no time for people that drink and drive and think that if caught, they should have the book thrown at them! JMO

OK Harrison I replied I don't drink and drive but just wanted to clarify that if I am out for the evening I will have the one to two drinks allowable over the course of the evening to keep me under the 0.05 (thats for a long evening) and the rest of the time is soft dink. If I want to drink I don't take the car, quite simple really, it isn't worth being caught but more importantly it isn't worth risking lives. I have no time for people that drink and drive and think that if caught, they should have the book thrown at them! JMO


Hi, Mentally...

Thanks for speaking up here. Interesting to get an Aussie perspective. Where I live the legal BAC (bloood alcohol content) limit is .08.

Is yours .05 as your post suggests? If so, you're stricter than we are here in the USA. Is your BAC limit just for your state or does Australia have a federal law?

I'm afraid I totally agree with you about having the book thrown at folks. It's important to shake people up and put a stop to it. When our state Supreme Court justice, Bobbie Bridge, got a DUI a few years ago, I was shocked and appalled. It was almost surreal....

This is one of those great quandries of my life. Personally, I *have* in my life, driven under the influence. But now, I've come to the conclusion that it's not worth it. My man went to jail for it, after his third offense, and still does it. EEP.

In my opinion, there are way too many options available to make this a necessary thing. Now I just have to drill that into my Canuck's head. :(

If you objectively have good cognitive and motor skills while drunk, ie. you can steadily keep one eyeball on the speedometer and KNOW that you really are travelling no more than 30 mph... and you can keep the steering wheel locked in a fixed position while driving on a straight stretch of road, you'll likely escape the notice of the police.


Harrison, I have no idea how old you are, but I do get the impression that we're more or less of the same generation.

That being said...what you said here is SO reminiscent of what I have heard from men of my father's generation. (And, yes, that includes my Canuck, as well as various others I have known)

Somehow, there's this idea that you can "do this". That, somehow, by doing "X, Y, and Z", you'd be okay. And, that pisses me the hell off. In the two years that I have been with my Canuck, he's let me drive precisely once. And that was because we had to go over a bridge where they normally have sobriety checks.

GAH...where does this idea come from?

Hi Harrison, in Aus we have zero tolerance for L and P Platers and 0.05 for everyone else. Not sure in the states what you have but here we have L for learners, they can get their L license at 16 but can't go for their P or provisional license till 17, once on provisional it is divided into red for 1 year where speed limits allowable are reduced, then 2 years on green with the speed limits raised slightly, then after the total 3 years they get a full licence, they also lose their license quicker for any infringments. We have a lot of road deaths for people under 25 with speed and drinkig being major factors!

Harrison, I have no idea how old you are, but I do get the impression that we're more or less of the same generation.

That being said...what you said here is SO reminiscent of what I have heard from men of my father's generation. (And, yes, that includes my Canuck, as well as various others I have known)

Somehow, there's this idea that you can "do this". That, somehow, by doing "X, Y, and Z", you'd be okay. And, that pisses me the hell off....

Well, Mishigas...

Maybe it's male "linear" thinking or something... :D Now it IS true that police pull you over for a REASON. Typically weaving or poor lane control or speeding - or a combination of the above. We agree that it's not a "feeling" the police officer has, or alcoholic fumes emanating from your car, right? lol

If your skills (or luck) allow you to avoid making those mistakes in the immediate presence of a police officer, odds are you won't be pulled over

In the two years that I have been with my Canuck, he's let me drive precisely once. And that was because we had to go over a bridge where they normally have sobriety checks.

GAH...where does this idea come from?

Probably from experience in driving drunk for some time without being caught? :eek: That's not my personal experience but I'll admit to driving while under the influence of, um, non-alcoholic intoxicants, and not being detected. It's nothing to brag about at all; I'm just lucky and find it interesting to analyze why I evaded "the man" while others were busted...

Probably from experience in driving drunk for some time without being caught? :eek: That's not my personal experience but I'll admit to driving while under the influence of, um, non-alcoholic intoxicants, and not being detected. It's nothing to brag about at all; I'm just lucky and find it interesting to analyze why I evaded "the man" while others were busted...

Yup. Whether from liquid intoxicants, or others, I still think that it's a completely stupid way of thinking.

Why didn't you get caught? Luck, fate, the alignment of the stars. There's nothing to be said about "knowing how to drive in these situations".

Yup. Whether from liquid intoxicants, or others, I still think that it's a completely stupid way of thinking.

Why didn't you get caught? Luck, fate, the alignment of the stars. There's nothing to be said about "knowing how to drive in these situations".

I disagree. Driving is nothing more than a set of reflexes, movements and reactions like dancing, running or sexual intercourse.

Some guys/gals can do some or all of the above; others struggle; some fail. I'm not sure what exactly is the problem with acknowledging this.

I disagree. Driving is nothing more than a set of reflexes, movements and reactions like dancing, running or sexual intercourse.

Some guys/gals can do some or all of the above; others struggle; some fail. I'm not sure what exactly is the problem with acknowledging this.

Oh my.

And, with the "help" of an intoxicant or a cell phone, these same people become a menace on the road.

Care to argue with the stats? Or still want to be "the man"?

Oh my.

And, with the "help" of an intoxicant or a cell phone, these same people become a menace on the road....

This is not a point I dispute at all. It seems almost self-evident.
Your point is....?

This is not a point I dispute at all. It seems almost self-evident.
Your point is....?

I was responding to YOUR point, which is, apparently, that those who "know how to drive" can do so under the influence. Pardon me for thinking that you're talking out of your tucchus with that one.

THAT'S the attitude that gets people killed.

I was responding to YOUR point, which is, apparently, that those who "know how to drive" can do so under the influence. Pardon me for thinking that you're talking out of your tucchus with that one.

THAT'S the attitude that gets people killed.

True. When fatal accidents occur, it IS the attitude that gets people killed.

And when the motorist's journey is completed without incident, it is the attitude that gets people home safely, isn't it??

I understand what you're trying to say to me; I just don't find it especially compelling. Should drunk people drive? Or course they shouldn't. Is it unsafe to drive while drunk? Very much so. Will those realities stop drunk people from driving? Certainly not.

If I'm going to drive, I never drink anything harder then beer when I'm at someone else's house. Do you just have one beer?

The reason I asked, is that some people think if they JUST drink beer, they will not get as inebriated as they would with hard liquor.

I drank after work in the early 80's and then would drive 25 miles to my home. TOTALLY DUMB AND RECKLESS. I was stopped twice by the police but was not given a ticket. Things were different then, as far as drinking went. :(

I decided in 1989, that I did not want drinking in my life anymore... even socially. So I haven't had a drink in 18 years. I look back and it is a wonder that more of us 'partiers' didn't get killed or kill someone.

I have actually felt more impaired for driving when I m super tired, than when I have had a beer.. I never drink more than a coupla beers over the course of an evening and always drink a glas of water the hour before I leave somewhere, as it seems to clear my head if I am feeling fuzzy at all.. I have been pulled over three times and breathalized once, and passed.. All three times I had either not been drinking at all, or had a headlight out, or was drving a little fast at bar close time. I fetl a little miffed all three times because I know that there are people out that just that should not be driving and I think so why are you pulling me over?? Just luck of the draw I guess..
Anyway back to my original thought, I have always had a much harder time concentrating, staying in my lane, and having quick reflexes when I am tired... Anyone else have this phenomenon? Or am I just weird- ok don't answer that... :D

I have actually felt more impaired for driving when I m super tired, than when I have had a beer.. I never drink more than a coupla beers over the course of an evening and always drink a glas of water the hour before I leave somewhere, as it seems to clear my head if I am feeling fuzzy at all.. I have been pulled over three times and breathalized once, and passed.. All three times I had either not been drinking at all, or had a headlight out, or was drving a little fast at bar close time. I fetl a little miffed all three times because I know that there are people out that just that should not be driving and I think so why are you pulling me over?? Just luck of the draw I guess..
Anyway back to my original thought, I have always had a much harder time concentrating, staying in my lane, and having quick reflexes when I am tired... Anyone else have this phenomenon? Or am I just weird- ok don't answer that... :D



Lily42,

I have driven while tired far more often than I have while drunk.

Your observations are dead-on target!!

Researchers have determined that driving while tired is every bit as deadly - or deadlier - than driving while drunk. I read an online article saying that in the UK, hundreds of thousands of traffic accidents are directly attributable to physical exhaustion. :eek: I'm sure the same applies to us in the USA.

Those bumpy-reflectors aren't on the highway just to be cute. They work and have saved me more than once.