Leaving the parking lot is one thing (I don't agree, but that is neither here nor there) but these people were INSIDE the bar and NOT behind the wheel of a car. For pete's sake some of these busts took place in hotel bars and the people busted had rooms in the hotels.
Nope - this was JUST PLAIN WRONG.
"Speaking as a teetotaller who is sick of hearing of innocent citizens being killed by all of these addicts' irresponsible behavior, that is."
These are tragedies alright. But what will you do about the other 70% (+ or -) of like tragedies where the drivers weren't drinking? Get all drivers off the roads?
The statistics don't necessarily demonstrate that the one drinking caused the accident. Sometimes it is the non drinking driver that caused the accident but it still is logged as alcohol related for statistical purposes.
If that accounts for 10% then we are up to 80% of fatal accidents not alcohol related.
And then if we account for the guy who had two beers and was responsible for the accident, but not because he was drunk, rather he lost control for some external cause beyond anyone's control whether sober or drunk ie hydroplane, or blowout etc,
say that takes another 10% toll on the stats...bringing it to 90% of tragic accidents not alcohol related.
Now we take it a final step and suggest if truth were told, less than 5% of fatal accidents are caused by drunk drivers...and 95% of fatal accidents are caused by sober people.
What does this say for sober people? It tells me we have some teetotalers who shouldn't be on the roads. What I want to see is some stats that show how many teetotalers are responsible for fatal accidents. Now we can get to the truth fair and balanced.
Recently, a routine police patrol was parked outside a local neighborhood bar in Minnesota.
Late in the evening, the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few minutes with the officer quietly watching.
After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys on five different vehicles, the man managed to find his own car which he fell into. He was there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally, he started his car, switched the wipers on and off (it was a dry night), flicked the hazard flasher on and off, tooted the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed a little and then remained stationary for a few more minutes as more patrons left in their vehicles.
At last he pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive slowly down the street.
The police officer having patiently waited all this time, now started up his patrol car, put on the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and carried out a breathalyser test.
To his amazement the breathalyser indicated no evidence that the man consumed alcohol at all!
Dumbfounded, the officer said "I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the police station. This breathalyser equipment must be broken."
"I doubt it," said the man. "Tonight I'm the designated decoy."
My back and neck are scewed up for life by a dumb broad yammering on her cellphone at 10am.
She should be in jail for HER reckless disregard for other drivers' and pedestrians' safety. It'll never happen.
The cellphone lobby is stronger than big alcohol.