[Kosh]

Re: Drink driving at Christmas : Fri Dec 07, 2012 5:37 pm  

kirkstaller wrote:

Surely you've seen the traps laid by police on Saturday and Sunday mornings? They pull in 7 cars a time.

Nope. Not in 30+ years of being a driver, the last 20 years of which as a part of my employment taking me all over the country.

In any case, the solution is simple. Don't drive a car if you're over the limit. If you do, don't whine about being nicked.

Re: Drink driving at Christmas : Fri Dec 07, 2012 6:18 pm  

kirkstaller wrote:

We are now firmly in the season of office Christmas parties. Consequently, people are more likely to have a drink on a 'work night' and drive into work or elsewhere the following day.

The seasonal drink driving ads are upon us and this can only be a good thing. Driving whilst drunk is simply idiotic. But where (or when) do you think the enforcement of this campaign will take place?

Does anyone think there is something massively ingenuous about breathalysing motorists on the morning commute?

The latest breathalysing equipment used by the plod might not discriminate between night and day, but anyone with half a brain can tell you that there is a significant difference between being under the influence of alcohol on a night out and driving into work with a hangover the following day.

Should the police focus their resources on the 10pm-4am offenders? Are early morning stops unfair on normally law-abiding folk who, realistically, are not under the influence of alcohol?

I'm not necessarily picking sides, but I know which one I am leaning towards.

Time of day or hangover has no (legal) impact on driving, if you go out, have a skinfull, get a cab home, good for you. If then head off to work the next morning and get pulled over and are found out to be over the limit, hard luck.

You could argue that if you get hangovers like I tend to get then you'd not be in the best state to drive anyway irrespective of any alcohol limit laws.

Re: Drink driving at Christmas : Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:06 pm  

If there's alcohol in your blood stream then it has an effect on reactions.

Generally alcohol leaves the body at a rate of 1 unit per hour, however, this can vary depending on age, weight, Bmi, other liquids consumed and also types of food eaten.

Disposable self testing kits are available at most Halfords stores and online, and although they won't do you any favours in a court of law are actually pretty reliable. Businesses that random test their staff sometimes use the disposable breathalysers before calling a tester out for something more concrete.

Re: Drink driving at Christmas : Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:47 pm  

Kosh wrote:

Nope. Not in 30+ years of being a driver, the last 20 years of which as a part of my employment taking me all over the country.

In any case, the solution is simple. Don't drive a car if you're over the limit. If you do, don't whine about being nicked.

Last Sunday afternoon, I was driving home from Winterslow, Wiltshire. It was about 4.00pm and starting to get dark. Just prior to joining the A30 to Salisbury an idiot in a Fiat Seicento overtook me on a blind bend, then slowed down to less than the speed I'd previously been travelling at. I followed this 2@ for a couple of miles, watching as he wandered between kerb and crossing the central white line before I phoned the old bill. I kept up a running commentary for them until he parked his motor outside of a boozer just off the Salisbury ring road.

Do I feel guilty about dobbing him in? Do I fook! On one of his little trips across the central white line, it could've been me or someone I knew coming the other way. He may not have been over the limit, he could've been just a shite driver. Either way, he shouldn't have been on the road.

The days have long gone when the drink-driver's danger time was after 10.30pm. Plod aren't that stupid, they know that anyone could be over the limit at any time of day

[Durham Giant]

Re: Drink driving at Christmas : Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:01 am  

cod'ead wrote:

Last Sunday afternoon, I was driving home from Winterslow, Wiltshire. It was about 4.00pm and starting to get dark. Just prior to joining the A30 to Salisbury an idiot in a Fiat Seicento overtook me on a blind bend, then slowed down to less than the speed I'd previously been travelling at. I followed this 2@ for a couple of miles, watching as he wandered between kerb and crossing the central white line before I phoned the old bill. I kept up a running commentary for them until he parked his motor outside of a boozer just off the Salisbury ring road.

Do I feel guilty about dobbing him in? Do I fook! On one of his little trips across the central white line, it could've been me or someone I knew coming the other way. He may not have been over the limit, he could've been just a shite driver. Either way, he shouldn't have been on the road.

The days have long gone when the drink-driver's danger time was after 10.30pm. Plod aren't that stupid, they know that anyone could be over the limit at any time of day

I am surprised you did not get a £60 fine for using your Moby although i guess you were hands free.

Re: Drink driving at Christmas : Sat Dec 08, 2012 11:47 am  

When I was a magistrate I was surprised just how many drink driving cases were morning after offenses, and not just at this time of year.

I was also surprised at just how far over the limit most of the drivers were. I never dealt with a case where the motorist was marginally over the limit and might genuinely have thought they were legal. They were all well over, often 2-3 times the limit, and must have known they were unfit to drive.

It may be that the cases I dealt with weren't a representative sample, but I dealt with enough of them to realise that there are some seriously dangerous drivers on the road in the morning.

Re: Drink driving at Christmas : Sat Dec 08, 2012 2:22 pm  

Cibaman wrote:

When I was a magistrate I was surprised just how many drink driving cases were morning after offenses, and not just at this time of year.

I was also surprised at just how far over the limit most of the drivers were. I never dealt with a case where the motorist was marginally over the limit and might genuinely have thought they were legal. They were all well over, often 2-3 times the limit, and must have known they were unfit to drive.

It may be that the cases I dealt with weren't a representative sample, but I dealt with enough of them to realise that there are some seriously dangerous drivers on the road in the morning.

Not sure if it's true but I was under the impression that they only prosecute if the offender is double the limit.

Re: Drink driving at Christmas : Sat Dec 08, 2012 2:39 pm  

Not sure if it is double the limit but they won't prosecute if you are up to a certain level over the limit so you won't see people in court who are only just over the limit.

Re: Drink driving at Christmas : Sat Dec 08, 2012 2:52 pm  

Ajw71 wrote:

Not sure if it is double the limit but they won't prosecute if you are up to a certain level over the limit so you won't see people in court who are only just over the limit.

Limit is 35mg per 100ml of breath and they won't normally prosecute you if you are at 40 or under.

Re: Drink driving at Christmas : Sat Dec 08, 2012 4:08 pm  

Stealth Comic wrote:

Not sure if it's true but I was under the impression that they only prosecute if the offender is double the limit.

Its not double, but the minimum I can remember was in the low 40's, although she had been in a minor accident.