Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbie
Mark...you are one of the vast majority of people.
And like most people you don't drink too much and drive.
And you also live in a city with taxi service readily available.
The majority of towns don't have taxis everywhere.
The last place I lived before Vegas was the upstate of South Carolina.
I never even SAW a taxi in that town.
But the point I'm making is: you could have 2 beers and a shot over the course of a couple of hours. And depending on your physiology and activity level (you'd probably be sitting on a bar stool unless you're a dancing machine kind of guy) you would STILL blow a DUI and not even have a buzz when you drove.
That doesn't "save lives". It just makes the city more money and ruins your life with that DUI.
It's the small percentage of hardcore drunks whom the law is aimed at. The ones who get behind the wheel every day in a state of black-out drunk. The ones who do indeed plow into crowds of people.
And I say again...those guys NEVER are deterred by the law. I've seen them with my own two eyes. And you read about them every day.
Those DUI laws are a money making machine for local govt's. Just like motorcycle cops hiding on local streets that have ridiculous 25 mph speed limits and handing out tickets to soccer moms doing 35 mph all day long.
They aren't "saving lives", they are collecting money for the city and the insurance companies.
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According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Admin in 2009 (most recent I could find) 10,839 people were killed in traffic accidents where the drive had a .08 blood alcohol level. That means 10,839 people had two beers and a shot, thought they were fine and killed themselves or others.
My uncle is a perfect example of how DUI laws are a deterrent for many. He is retired now, but for 30 years he worked in construction. He would drive this nice conversion van and every morning he would put a six pack in the ice box. After work he would take it out and drinking the beer during his drive home. On Fridays he would drink the beer on his way to his favorite bar where he would drink more then drive home. This went on for several years before he got busted.
His life was not ruined, but it was great inconvenienced. He ended up spending about $5K between fines, lawyers etc. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, but they let him serve it on the weekends. His license was suspended for a year. That was the biggest issue for him because he had to apply for a hardship license which means he had to go to the DMV and file papers stating his route to and from work and the times he was traveling it and the route to and from the grocery store and the day he would be making that trip. Since he worked construction their job sites often switched 2-3 times a month. So he had to constantly go to the DMV to switch his paperwork. Any DMV is a nightmare, but the ones in the Los Angeles area are a special kind of hell.
He never had a drink and drove after that. He was, and still is, a heavy drinker, but now he takes a cab to a bar and he waits to get home before he drinks. I was always busting his ass about driving drunk and he admitted to me that he was shocked he had never been in an accident. It was likely only a matter of time until he was.
I believe we should have personal freedom, and I think some of the DUI and traffic laws could stand to be changed, but I lost a close friend to a drunk driver when I was a teenager and I have zero tolerance for people who drink and drive. People should know what their tolerance levels are. If a person can go out to dinner and have a glass of wine or a beer and be fine, great. If that makes you tipsy, don't drink or don't drive it is that simple.