The drink driving issue is an easy one for people to latch onto. But a quick search shows many other, avoidable, practices are also to blame for crashes.
EG.
Drivers' failure to pay attention, rather than speed, is now the main cause of road accidents, according to government figures published yesterday.
Motoring groups campaigning against speed cameras urged the government to shift the emphasis of safety campaigns from speed to drivers' concentration and avoidance of distractions such as phones, music and satellite navigation systems.
For the first time the accident statistics include contributory factors, and failure to look properly was the one most frequently reported, in 32% of cases last year, the Department for Transport (DfT) reported.
So, who here has a sat nav system and can say, honestly, they never touch it while driving? I admit to that.
Mobile phones, I see loads of people still using them, clamped to their ears. (I'm hands free).
Always 100% fully awake? I sometimes hit the Red Bull and Proplus to ward off fatigue, but falling
asleep at the wheel is a major cause of crashes.
And who can say they NEVER exceed the speed limit???
So back to the orginal question, Your body can get rid of 1 unit of alcohol per hour, so if you have less than that per hour you will not get drunk. So someone having say a pint of shandy from 7pm to 8pm then a soft drink or two till 9pm then another shandy till 10pm ect ect will not be over the limit.
The other problem with the reports of "drunk drivers" is that to be a "drunk driver" you have to be over the statutary limit, so someone who has had less than the legal limit, but is still involved in a crash is not a "drunk driver" in the eyes of the law. So difficult to say that someone who has had, for instance, one pint of lager shandy, then is involved in a crash does so because of being "drunk", I'd suggest that one pint of lager shandy would certainly NOT make me "drunk", but I could well crash because of fiddling with the sat nav.
But you know what gets me really, really mad?? Try getting non-alcoholic drinks such as Kaliber in most bars. They look at you as if your mad. And if they actually have it probably going to be twice the price of an alcoholic drink of the same size.
If the Gov. really wanted to help stop drink driving they'd force all bars to stock it at a price cheaper than ordinary beers.
John
i hear what you are saying,
but this makes me wonder even more if the zero limit should be applyed.
if those people having just one drink do not register as drink drivers,,, but if the main cause of accidents are people not concentrating, could it be that people having just one drink,but not being drunk or picked up as so could have not been concentrating due to being relaxed, not drunk ,but still have had one drink??
i agree there are several habits that cause accidents, but if you remove them one by one things will be safer, so to be one the phone and having one drink must be worse than being on the phone and having no drink.
maybe having one drink makes us more likely to do things eg be on the phone then if we haddnt?
i hope that makes the sense it did in my head
xxx fem xx
Don't know if you can compare the individual bad habits against each other. But lets say the drink driving limit was lowered to zero and because of the harsh penalities most everybody stopped drink driving.
Should we then have the same penalities for using hand held mobile phones?
And the same penalities for touching the sat nav screen while driving?
And how about an alertness test so that only people who are 100% fully awake can drive??
And the same penalties for exceeding the speed limit'
......cos after all these cause accidents same as drink driving!
See where I'm going with this?
How about this? Everyone to retake their driving test every ten years and anyone who is involved in an accident which is their fault due to drinking, using a mobile, fiddling with a sat nav, falling asleep etc, has to take and pass an advanced driving test before they can go back on the road? Anyone else in favour?
John
I beleieve the system should stay as it is....
for the simple reasons that it has been proven that alcohol has different effects on different have a blanket "zero tolerance" system would result in people being convicted of an offence when , afterall, DD policy seeks to punish those who drive whilst impaired or unfit through alcohol... not because it might simply be in someones system.
i can understand why people who are driving refuse to have even one drink... but i believe this is through fear of spendng a few hours in the station being tested, if stopped... rather than because they think a half or single pint actually impairs their driving.
actually yes i think that would be great.
knew i should have applied to be in the traffic cops lol
while we are at it though can we also see the local councilors or who ever is responsible being done for providing crappy roads to drive on lol
i do think people convicted of a serious traffic offence should have to retake a extended test.
its a priveledge not a right to take your killing maching out amongest the public.
but then i guess there are hundreds/thousands of people driving without licences now.
more traffic cops i say.
xx fem xx
Unless someone sees you touching the Sat nav screen or using the mobile just before you crash into someone and wipe out their life,then it is a very hard thing to prove.
But because drink and also drugs can be tested for and found in your system then it is far eaiser to make a case that using them was the main cause of the death or severe injury to another.
So unless there is a test for using the Twat Nav or talking on your mobile or even smoking and listening to the radio then It's always gonna be drunk driving that is at the forefront of every safety campaign.
whatever happened to good ole common sense and self control
you won't find many more anti drink driving than me i abore it always have always will
a certain gentleman i know has both common sense and self control and when we go out he will have 1 and only 1 glass of wine at the begining of the evening so by the time we leave 6 hours later it is well and truelly out of his system and the one night he did really fancy a second glass we booked a hotel room for the night bloody exphensive second glass but worth the peace of mind
we havo brought our boys up to understand that if they were ever stupid enough to even consider drinkin n driving its not the police they need to worry about it is wat we will do to them if they do that they should worry about
as for the countries that put drink drivers in front of firing squads i think we should bring that in for those that use mobiles whilst driving how anyone could even think they could do that and continue driving safely are obviously insane enough not to warrant being on this earth :shock:
When I first started riding motorbikes, I was hit by a car with a drunk driver... it scared the living daylights out of me. And because not one person stopped to help me - I was laying on the road with my bike on top of me - and I was in shock, I had no details to give police. So they got away with it.
A couple of weeks ago, my better half and I went to London, and the coach driver was listening to his personal stereo all the way down. We had a few near misses, but I didn't have the guts to say anything to the driver.
All the time I see people driving and using mobile phones, a few days ago I took my blind friend out, and while crossing the road, at a proper controlled crossing I might add, we had right of way, ie the little green man was flashing, and a car nearly hit us as the "person" driving was using their phone.
The worst thing, is my late husband was an alcoholic and while he was still working, he used to drive to work with alcohol still in his system, and I had no idea what was happening until one of his work mates told me he came in early and found him drinking. He used to hide it from me. As soon as I found out, I stopped him from driving to work, but it scares the living daylights out of me to think he was driving to work for months, possibly still drunk.. He was lucky that he didn't hurt anybody. And by God did I give him a roasting when I found out.
It is a very difficult subject, and one that has been talked about for years.. but nothing seems to be happening... I personally think if you drive, you shouldn't drink. But everyone is different, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, whether you agree with it or not.
I never had a drink when I was on my motorbike.. I didn't want to risk my health and welfare.. and that of others....
never do it and never will.
I just got to much to lose if i was i wouldnt drink anyway if i was going to ride the next day let alone a few hours after.
People who get drunk and drive then kill or hurt someone should be treated the same a murderers by the courts.
It makes no difference to me just because there were behind a wheel.
off with their heads!!!!
Personally I think the drink drive law should be looked at.
Only to drop the limit to zero and make the penalty for those who fail a breath test instant and automatic forfiture of their license for a pre determined period. No excuse should be accepted (like the 'i need my license to work' etc)
Dropping the allowed level to zero would remove any ambiguity with metabolic rates etc and everyone would know that any alcohol taken before driving will lead to an instant ban.
i think drink drivers should be shot!!! ive seen 1st hand what happens, many years ago my grandads brother had a heart attack on the way to hospital the ambulance was involved in a crash with a drunk driver, the result was terrible for my relative he had to learn to walk and talk again was in intensive care for along time it caused paralises to his legs and brain damage it took years for him to even learn the basics and was touch and go if he could walk down the ailse to give his daughter away on her wedding day there was a tv programme made about him called rough justice but to this day drink drivers make me sick.
if you get pulled over and shown to be over the limit
what happens after wards? are you instantly banned from driving? or left to go away for months till your in front of a court and then banned?
i do think if your over the limit then it should be a instant ban and then a extended re test and a awareness session, and spend a day with a family who have lost a loved one due to this.
i know so many peopeli know say they wouldnt drink drive because they dont want tolose their licence. ??
i dont want to drink drive cuse i dont want to take a life.
a licence/car/job can be replaced.
xxx fem xxx
its very hard to prove that your tired, but they have the power to ask your employer how many hours you have been working etc (which could also mean they are prosecuted)
But the ultimate charge/offence would be driving with out due care or, worse case death by dangerous driving.
oh and if your employer was making you work silly hours they would be prosecuted under the corporate manslaughter act or HSE regulations if no one was killed.
very somber points but it does get my goat this subject !!
It has been an interesting conversation to read...
In a perfect world I would love a zero limit... however that would be impractical for various reasons, alcohol in food being one.... alcohol in various medicines people may take being another....
I am in favour of them lowering the limit though.... .08 is too high for me..... most european countries have a limit of .05..... sweeden's which sparked the conversation have a limit of .02
the perfect solution for me is the lower the limit gradualy......
Coming from the side that usually has to deal with the aftermouth of carnage left behind in any accident let alone one cause by those selfish people who have a total disregard for there own life let alone anyone elses, When they get behind the wheel of a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
I beleive that we should impliment a zero tolerance, last year alone I had to deal with 13 deaths not only of older people but of young drivers who were over the limit or the unfortunate ones to be hit by someone exceeding the alcohol limit.
Alcohol leaves the body at a rate of 8mg per hour if that person goes to sleep, if that person is aggressive and irrate in a hyper state the body will take longer to get rid of it.
I will probably have hit a nerve with some people but when you have to go to someones home and tell them a loved one is dead, reality hits home.
It is a very sad thing a loss of life, wether it be through illness or an accident it has the same effect on the families and loved ones.
I just hope that in this day and age we all have the common sense NOT to drink and drive!!!!
My job is hard enough without dealing with deaths caused by those who just have total disregard for the law.
Please do not get on the offensive reading this, I dont want to offend anyone.
Have a good Christmas, get a TAXI!!!
recent reasearch has proved that lack of sleep is just as bad as alchohol for affecting your responses to the degree that after 18 hours without sleep is the equivelant to drinking half a bottle of vodka and after 24 hours the same as a whole bottle
m on a dark and rainy night .
For me it should be all year round.
oam drive for 2- 3 hours attend an all day meeting that finished at 6:00pm and wouldn't consider that an overnight stay justification.