Drinking and Driving

[Drac]

Attended a party recently that was mostly for LEO's, but there were some civilians present...The topic turned to the upcoming Christmas Season and all the problems created for LEO's dealing with those that drink and drive..We actually had a couple of guests chime in tell us that they have NEVER drove while intoxicated, many of us found it hard to believe because they were knocking back shots and beers non-stop and were by themselves...

So I was wondering how many of you ever got behind the wheel after drinking??? I don't mean snot slinging, camode hugging drunk, just a little tipsy.. Be honest....

I will be the first to answer my own poll...Before joining the force? Yes, I have more times than I care to remember...After becoming a cop? Only once...

 

[morph4me]

I have gotten behind the wheel after 2 drinks, but never if I was intoxicated. Even as a teenager (drinking age was 18 then) I would walk if I were going to drink. I never want to live with the fact that I hurt or killed someone because I was driving drunk and couldn't react fast enough.

 

[Drac]

I have gotten behind the wheel after 2 drinks, but never if I was intoxicated. Even as a teenager (drinking age was 18 then) I would walk if I were going to drink. I never want to live with the fact that I hurt or killed someone because I was driving drunk and couldn't react fast enough.

I should edit the question..I don't mean stumbling drunk..

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

I don't drive anymore I live in Miami lol.

When I did drive I was never intoxicated.

My dad worked for Fire rescue and dinner time was story time.
My dad told me driving is responsibility and you have to be aware of what you are doing.

I recall driving once with a 104 fever on my way to the doctors in the rain!! That was dangerous and maybe not the best judgement.

But that was my only experience driving under some sort of lapse of judgement.

 

[morph4me]

I should edit the question..I don't mean stumbling drunk..

I didnt' think you did . I have about a 2 drink limit, with food, after that I won't drive unless it's been several hours since my last drink. When I was younger I had no such limit, so when I went out and knew I'd be drinking, I left my car at home.

 

[Jade Tigress]

Unfortunately, I've driven after having a few drinks. As I get older, I realize how stupid this is and I refuse to do it anymore.

I have an acquaintance that got pulled over for speeding last January. He was not *drunk* but he did have a couple drinks. He passed a field sobriety test but refused to blow. (I've heard both sides of the coin on whether you should blow or not) He did NOT receive a DUI conviction...but...

Here we are almost a year later and he has already spent about $20,000 in lawyers fees and fines. He has a blow device on his car until next June. He has to attend many hours of counseling sessions as well as doing 80 hours of community service. His license is suspended and his girlfriend has to drive him everywhere. He is about 48 years old and apparently he did get a DUI at age 21 so that counts against him.

Can you imagine being under the influence and hurting someone? It's not something I want to think about and not worth the risk. If I'm going to be drinking somewhere, I get a DD or call a cab, even if I'm not *drunk*. You don't have to be falling down drunk, a DUI can be issued at .025, I think that's like one drink, and God forbid you get into an accident.

 

[Drac]

The refusal to blow up here is an automatic suspension of your license and you have to appear in court and petition a judge for work privledges..Some folks think that you get that automatically...

 

[Drac]

Unfortunately, I've driven after having a few drinks. As I get older, I realize how stupid this is and I refuse to do it anymore.

You aint alone Jade.

Can you imagine being under the influence and hurting someone? ,

Something no one thinks about...

and God forbid you get into an accident.

Yes God forbid...

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I think we all owe it to ourselves to drive sober!

It is always a shame when someone is hurt.

It is also very, very, very rare when someone
has not had a drink and driven. (at least once) I really doubt
someone when they say they have not. Of course
there are the exceptions.

 

[shesulsa]

Once, before marriage and children, I drove while tipsy - not "drunk" by my standards but in retrospect I probably would have blown legally drunk. I didn't like the feeling and was scared for everyone on the road, including me. Fortunately I only drove about a mile. I have friends whose families have been affected by drunk drivers and I won't be one of them.

I simply won't drive after drinking unless I've eaten enough and enough time has passed where I know I will not be impaired according to standards.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Attended a party recently that was mostly for LEO's, but there were some civilians present...The topic turned to the upcoming Christmas Season and all the problems created for LEO's dealing with those that drink and drive..We actually had a couple of guests chime in tell us that they have NEVER drove while intoxicated, many of us found it hard to believe because they were knocking back shots and beers non-stop and were by themselves...

So I was wondering how many of you ever got behind the wheel after drinking??? I don't mean snot slinging, camode hugging drunk, just a little tipsy.. Be honest....

I will be the first to answer my own poll...Before joining the force? Yes, I have more times than I care to remember...After becoming a cop? Only once...

Drac,

When I was much younger I did get behind the wheel after some alcohol. While I may not have been legally drunk for the laws of that time, I knew I was impaired. I gave up drinking for long time. So for over decade I did not drink. I just did not taste well and I did not feel like having any alcohol. I do have a drink of beer now when I go out. I have one with Water on side. I nurse it for a while, and then I stop drinking before I get on the road.


Thanks

 

[14 Kempo]

I have to admit, when I was young and stupid, I drove under the influence many, many times. I think it was when I was 25 that the laws began to change and that triggered me to stop drinking, realizing that I had been lucky up to that point in not being caught. It was a few years later that I added "I was lucky that I hadn't hurt someone" ... as they say, we get wiser as we grow older.

 

[jks9199]

I admit; there's one time in particular I recall when I drove that I almost certainly shouldn't have. I'd offered someone a ride, then been told they wouldn't need it... so I started drinking. Then, suddenly, they did need the ride after all... My BAC was definitely still on the upswing... and it was a short trip. Still, shouldn't have done it.

Otherwise, the only time I drink that much is when my only "trip" is to my room in the same hotel I'm drinking, or some similiar situation where I don't have to drive anything more complex than an elevator.

 

[jks9199]

Unfortunately, I've driven after having a few drinks. As I get older, I realize how stupid this is and I refuse to do it anymore.

I have an acquaintance that got pulled over for speeding last January. He was not *drunk* but he did have a couple drinks. He passed a field sobriety test but refused to blow. (I've heard both sides of the coin on whether you should blow or not) He did NOT receive a DUI conviction...but...

Here we are almost a year later and he has already spent about $20,000 in lawyers fees and fines. He has a blow device on his car until next June. He has to attend many hours of counseling sessions as well as doing 80 hours of community service. His license is suspended and his girlfriend has to drive him everywhere. He is about 48 years old and apparently he did get a DUI at age 21 so that counts against him.

Can you imagine being under the influence and hurting someone? It's not something I want to think about and not worth the risk. If I'm going to be drinking somewhere, I get a DD or call a cab, even if I'm not *drunk*. You don't have to be falling down drunk, a DUI can be issued at .025, I think that's like one drink, and God forbid you get into an accident.

As an aside... Let me give you my reasoning, as a cop on the side of the road.

In VA, I'm required to offer a preliminary breath test on the side of the road; it's not admissable in court, but can support probable cause. As I generally explained it -- it could only help a driver. If their field tests were bad enough, I knew they were going to be arrested without the PBT. If they were borderline, the PBT could help me decide which way to go; if they were below, no arrest. I might encourage a cab or calling a friend, especially if the result was .05 to .07 BAC. If the BAC was close, like .07 to .09... well, it'd depend on exactly how bad the tests were, and the attitude of the driver. Why? Because I didn't want to hook someone whose BAC was dropping, and, an hour or so after I arrested them, have them blow below the limit if I could help it. .10 and above? Yeah, the driver was out of luck. Taking that PBT on the street just helped me assess the borderline calls and the attitude of the driver...

As to the evidentiary test, VA is like most states. When you choose to drive, you consent to a test IF you are arrested on the roadways. In VA, you don't have a choice; it's breath unless it's not available for some reason. Failing to submit to the test is a separate offense, with separate penalties and a separate loss of license.

With all that said... I think the last part of your post is the most important. Avoid the whole question: If you have any reason to be unsure of whether you should drive... DON'T DRIVE. Many companies have employee assistance programs that actually provide cab fare (with some restrictions) and, during the holiday season, there are often other free cab ride programs available in the US.

 

[Ninjamom]

My first boyfriend's brother died in an accident with a drunk driver while we were still both in high school. My next door neighbor's son died going home for the holidays in a head-on with a drunk driver. My college roommates' fiance' was killed ... guess how?

No, I have never driven after drinking, and God willing, I never will.

Many people learn from their mistakes as they get older. PLEASE, in this case, don't wait that long! Learn from the tragedies that have already happened, and have happened too often at that.

 

[MJS]

People ask me all the time if I drink. I would not even call what I do 'social drinking' because I really can't stand the taste. Sure I've gone out and had a beer, and while I'm still nursing #1, everyone else is on 2 or 3. I wouldn't say that my driving was impared with half a beer and I certainly wouldn't say that I was tipsy.

 

[Gordon Nore]

A few years ago, an inlaw of mine was arrested on a DUI. She's an occasional drinker who nurses each beverage. She had gone out to dinner with co-workers on the way to the office Holiday party, with the sensible plan of leaving her car at the party and taking a cab. Before the party, at dinner, she decided one extra glass of wine and the short drive to the hotel would probably be ok. She gambled, got popped, and ended up in lock-up dressed to the nines. It was late, so there would be no court appearance til the morning, and the staff by this time weren't feeling terribly forgiving, so she found herself without a pillow for the night.

She had a brief suspension of her liscence, a fine of several hundred dollars, alcohol awareness training, and three days house arrest with an ankle bracelet. All in all, this could have been a more costly lesson.

Obviously there are people who get out on the road shart-faced and keep doing it after they've been busted. I wonder how much of drinking and driving activities (whether they're caught or not) are committed by people playing little math games in their head: Ohh, one more shouldn't hurt. Shame to take a cab for such a short drive. I had a good meal.

It's a huge roll of the dice.

 

[jks9199]

A few years ago, an inlaw of mine was arrested on a DUI. She's an occasional drinker who nurses each beverage. She had gone out to dinner with co-workers on the way to the office Holiday party, with the sensible plan of leaving her car at the party and taking a cab. Before the party, at dinner, she decided one extra glass of wine and the short drive to the hotel would probably be ok. She gambled, got popped, and ended up in lock-up dressed to the nines. It was late, so there would be no court appearance til the morning, and the staff by this time weren't feeling terribly forgiving, so she found herself without a pillow for the night.

She had a brief suspension of her liscence, a fine of several hundred dollars, alcohol awareness training, and three days house arrest with an ankle bracelet. All in all, this could have been a more costly lesson.

Obviously there are people who get out on the road shart-faced and keep doing it after they've been busted. I wonder how much of drinking and driving activities (whether they're caught or not) are committed by people playing little math games in their head: Ohh, one more shouldn't hurt. Shame to take a cab for such a short drive. I had a good meal.

It's a huge roll of the dice.

I did a breath test on a bride once... She had to run out for something either during the reception or between the ceremony and reception, got stopped, and was trashed. She spent her wedding night at the jail. And I'm not particularly sympathetic... You can't tell me that at a wedding she didn't have somebody who could've and would've made that run for her.

NOTHING will sober you but time, if you've been drinking. There are plenty of calculators available on the web to assess your approximate BAC, given how much you've drunk and the time. As a loose rule, most men can probably handle 2 to 3 drinks in an hour and be legal; figure 1 to 2 for most women. (Legal meaning that you may experience some impairment, but aren't in an arrestable range.) The normal person processes about 1 drink per hour (.15 g/210 liters breath per hour, to be more precise.) That's if you're not adding to it... and a "drink" is 1 1/4 oz 80 proof liquor, a 12 oz beer, or 4 oz of wine. Yeah -- that means that a whole lot of "drinks" served in a bar, or especially at a party are a whole lot more than "one" drink.

 

[Gordon Nore]

NOTHING will sober you but time...

Understood and agreed. I was not expressing any sympathy for my in-law, or anyone else who rolls the dice, except that I'm glad no one was hurt.

 

[Sukerkin]

I have never driven whilst intoxicated but I have ridden intoxicated ... once!

I'd gone to a local beer festival, fully with the intent of leaving my bike there and getting a taxi back home.

After a splendid night, I found myself getting off my bike outside my house and had no idea how I had gotten there . That was enough to scare me out of ever doing something so stupid again.

Young and drunk are not a good combination for sensible decsion making .