Posted on 12/27/2004 10:35:19 AM PST by sully777
WASHINGTON (SH) - The best public relations effort in the world apparently couldn't save victims [snip] from drunken drivers.
Now, federal investigators want to figure out why. They're examining why drunken driving persists in the face of aggressive anti-drunken driving campaigns.
"It's really complex," said Marilyn Sabin, assistant director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. "It's really a tough question, and I wish I had the answer [snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at modbee.com ...
I agree with you.
Raise the limit to 1.0 from 08
Eliminate roadblocks as they are pure bull$hit.
Drunk driving persists because, sometimes, a drunk person needs to be someplace where they are not.
I generally agree with you. I had a friend in college who went to a wedding, had 3 glasses of champagne in 2 hours. Was hit by another motorist leaving the reception, and then charged with DUI with a BAC of .08 even though the other driver was at fault. He was charged, taken to jail, and treated generally like a criminal before he posted bail on Monday morning. Meanwhile, the driver that caused the accident, was set loose back on the highways.
On the same evening, I saw a drunk idiot swerving in and out of traffic within 2 miles of this reception on I-285 in Atlanta.
The DUI laws in my opinion have gotten out of control. People are being punished as if though they had killed someone irregardless of the cost of their crime. People are serving jail time when there has been no victim. If someone gets drunk and kills someone on the road, this is Reckless Homicide in my book. It doesen't matter if they were drunk or putting on their makeup or eating rice krispies.
Politicians looking for a PR shot and overzealous lobbiest in groups like MADD have pushed the realm of DUI laws into the category of ridiculous and non-sensical.
it's the most perfect catch-22 imaginable.
A limit of .08 is too low. They did that just to grab more fines. It should be 1.0, I think.
I have to wonder if the country isn't broken down into two groups on this, the one group who has, at one time or another, driven drunk themselves, and the second, seemingly more prevalant group, those that lie about it.
Totally agree on the roadblocks. If that isn't an unreasonable search, I don't know what is.
Also, I always thought it was B.S. that if a sober person causes an accident with someone who has a .08+ BAC it is automatically the fault of the .08+. I'm not saying that the .08 shouldn't get sited for DUI, but the other dirver certainly should still be liable for causing the accident.
bug chasing? methinks you might know a little too much lingo. And no, I don't want to know what it is.
Drunk driving persists because, sometimes, a drunk person needs to be someplace where they are not.
Bump. DUI has become a revenue center for local towns. I'd love to see more drug dealers shut down, but there's no money in that.
I really like your idea.
I'm lucky enough to have a neighborhood bar within walking distance, but the vast majority don't. They have little choice but to drive or stay home. Some choice. Neighborhood bars are few and far between because of restrictions on licenses as well as the very high cost.
The very real danger I encounter several times a day is the sober cell-phoned soccer mom in a Suburban doing her make up while swerving two lanes at a time. They should be fined to the gills for this activity, as they cause countless accidents. I'll take a .08 driver any day over this nonsense.
Question: Why do people feel the need to get drunk?
Reality is for those who can't handle drugs.
T. Jefferson has it right. The .08 drivers aren't causing the accidents. There are no studies now nor before the limit was dropped to show dropping the limit would reduce accidents. I know because as a reporter I asked the N.J. State Police to supply documentation supporting their recommendation to lower the limit. The spokesman just laughed and admitted there was no research, no evidence. I believe it occurred because of federal blackmanil, though. States had to comply or lose federal highway funding.
Remember, another study showed that 67 percent of all drivers in accidents didn't have the benefit of marijuana in their system. (That would be the reverse of the actual published study that said 32 percent of drivers in serious accidents had traces of marijuana in their system. Of course, you test positive for marijuana for a month or more after last use.
A man walks out of a bar, obviously plastered.
Parked a short distance away is an unmarked police car out to nab drunk drivers as part of the county's new crack down. The officer watches the man and thinks to himself, "There's a quick one. Just have to wait for him to get on the road and he's mine!"
So the man weaves his way out to the car and tries his keys. They don't fit for some reason. Oh yeah. This is a red ford and he drives a blue chevy!
A few people leave the bar and drive home.
The drunk then finds the right car and in the process of getting the keys into the lock drops them and kicks them under the car. He falls and stumbles and eventually gets the keys back in his hand and back in the lock. Great! He's got the right car. The cop watches patiently as more people leave the bar.
The drunk turns the car on, turns on the left turn signal. Turns it off. Turns on the right turn signal, turns it off. then apparently passes out for about 5 minutes.
Some more people leave the bar and drive off.
The drunk wakes with a start. Looks around and starts the car. Shifts into forward and moves a couple feet. Shifts into reverse and moves a couple feet. Sounds the horn a few times and turns off the car.
Some more people leave the bar and the place closes down for the night.
Finally, as the last car in the lot pulls out, the drunk starts his car again and slowly starts onto the street.
After the drunk turns onto the street the cop turns on his lights and pulls him over. "Whash amatter oshifer?"
The cop tells the drunk to get out and performs the sobriety tests, which the drunk fails. Then the officer gets out his breathalyzer and says blow into this.
So the drunk blows into the tube and the device records 0.0% alcohol.
The cop is now really confused. "I'm afraid I'll have to take you in to get tested. My machine appears to be broke."
The drunk , suddenly stone cold sober, says "I don't think so, I'm tonight's designated decoy"
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