Take care out there - Its that time again

Thanks Clueless1, I've just read out your experiences with the John Smith as a cautionary tale to the BF who is about your size and inclined to have that extra half pint which I think is likely to put him into the red.

I'm small with correspondingly low blood volume, so I am only prepared to drink a half of shandy if driving. Shandy is revolting and full of sugar, so I generally choose to drink orange juice and soda water. I never want to have that sinking feeling as Isee the blue light in the rear view mirror and all the horrors of losing your licence flash through my mind. It's only a drink after all, is it really that necessary?

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/drivingissues/1127227453.html#.UrWe3cLuOYM
Just a rule of thumb, but I think I've read that the body can eliminate roughly 1 unit of alcohol per hour. But if you're that drunk you could hardly rely on your ability to do the math.

 

Exactly.

The way I look at it is this. If I can't drive, I can't get to work. If I can't get to work, I can't pay the mortgage. If I can't pay the mortgage, I lose the house which is the family home. I've seen families go through repossession, and its not pretty. It almost always (from what I've seen) results in one or both parents having a mental breakdown, the family falling apart, the kids doing terrible at school and generally having their life destroyed by learning the harsh realities of life before they are mature enough to take it.

All that for one extra drink. And that's if you're lucky enough to get caught before you actually do any other harm.

I'd rather limit myself to one pint of weak beer if I'm driving. I can always bring the car home and then go back out in a taxi if I want to drink more, or just have a drink in the house. And even then, not if I have to be up and out early the next day, because even if you are no longer over the limit by morning, you still might be extra tired and feeling rough, which can also result in some very dodgy driving.

 

Noticed a neighbour's car had a defective brake light yesterday. Anybody else I'd tip off, but not those seen knocking back the drinks in the pub every weekend and driving back home again.

 

At this time of year when the coppers are on their annual drink drive haul, they'll pull people over for the slightest reason, including a duff brake light, and they breathalyse everyone they stop just as a matter of routine.

 

That's the outcome I'm hoping for.

 

I am, thank you, Sheal

My car needs some restoration and a bit of a make over and that's going to be a bit of a faff at this time of year. But, I was so, so lucky and it only delayed me by one hour from picking up my son.

I won't go into detail about "all things happen in 3's" but, suffice to say that was #1 and the other two that day involved a recalcitrant skirt followed by a kamikaze toilet roll holder

Really? Is that what it is like where you live?
Blimey! I got away lightly then .... an RTC (perfect excuse if ever there was one) and not a breathalyzer in sight!

Move to Lincoln

 

Yep, it's like that here too.

 

Could never work out why a burnt out light might suggest you have been drinking, I've seen masses of one headlight cars on the road, but I dont think they were all drunk.

Are we really living in a police state, or should we go back to the days when the copper had to have some REAL reason to think you had been drinking, before reaching for the breathalyzer, and have to justify doing it.
After all, I think to take DNA swabs they have to follow strict guidelines, why not breath?

 

I have a mate who's a traffic cop, he still finds it amazing that people get behind wheel when they've had a few drinks.

 

I hate having drive over the silly season, because the general deterioration of driving skill is more than noticeable. Just tonight I was behind a car that seemed unable to remain in lane, choosing instead to sort of zig zag all over the place.

Generally speaking, I must say I don't like coppers much. Its my belief that they are all just school bullies that never grew out of it, but when it comes to getting drunk drivers off the roads, I don't care how they go about it, I'm just happy that they try and occasionally succeed.

 

Agreed!!!!!

 

Cant say I have ever noticed any real change in driving over the Christmas period, infact most people seem to drive more carefully because they know the coppers are out to get them.

I have seen the occasional car being driven erratically, but mostly it happens any time of the year, and if the driver is tested and under the limit, then that makes it all OK??

Bad driving or not paying proper attention is a year round thing, not just a Christmas/New year thing, I actually think the sober manic should be treated harsher than the one that has had a drink, (notice I'm not saying drunk, there is a big difference), bearing in mind he is more likely to drive like that all the time.

 

If people get caught drink driving they should be banned for life.
now thats a can of worms opened

 

No its not a beer
its a saying like throwing the cat in with the pigeon loft