[John Kilduff]

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If there were no logistical drawbacks involved (hypothetical scenario of course), would you be opposed to Drunk Driving Checkpoints on every major intersection?

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Absolutely, because they'd be run by police, and police abuse their powers all the time.

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Agreed.



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How about weapons patdowns for everyone every time you go out on the street? It would arguably make us safer.

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No thanks. This would be carried out by corrupt cops. It would be expensive as hell, and very intrusive.

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Agreed.

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So ignition interlock devices for DUI'ers = quite possibly OK and very possibly a good thing, but ignition interlock devices for everyone = no way, no thank you Police State.

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Dude. You do realize that "DUIers" are just a very small fraction of the larger set of people who drive drunk. Most people don't get caught.

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True, yet the same could also be said of many types of criminal activity. I don't think screwing everybody over to ensure that nobody can commit (insert crime here) is generally a good or fair idea.

I'm sure I would be safer on the road if ignition interlock devices were as common as airbags. It's not a trade-off I'd be willing to make, though. Personally speaking, I'm not much worried about getting hit by a drunk driver. In the unlikely event that I get run over dead someday by a drunk driver, hey, those are the breaks and I doubt I'll remember it [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] I'm actually more concerned about daily quality of life, and am 100% convinced it would be a royal pain to have to blow into a Breathalyzer every time before zipping down to the corner store. My opinion on that would be: screw that, and let me take my chances.

edit: By the way, I have a similar view on seatbelt laws (even though I choose to buckle up). If I were to decide that I no longer wanted to buckle up, I wouldn't appreciate the threat of a ticket. And yes, I am aware that buckling up can save other motorists' lives too by virtue of helping the driver to not lose control of the car. I'm just not so much of a statistics nit that very low-probability death risks influence me much one way or the other. To me, a .0001 risk of dying is about the same as a .0005 risk of dying when comparing it to matters of freedom or autonomy or quality of life.