DUIs

[Gildwulf]

OP is a PoS on at least 5 levels

[Klompy]

KingOtter, great post

[tuq]

Otter you rule. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[noseeds99]

pred..

I have 2 DUIS and know 3 ppl with 3+...

In Kansas, the 3rd is a 1 year mandatry sentence like your friends situation. This doesnt mean you spend a year in jail. My friend got his 3rd and did 30 days in jail and like 3 months on house arrest (not sure what the "mandatory" means). At least here, A LOT of the outcme has to do with how much money you have and your ability to pay the courts the hefty fines that come with the charge in a timely manner. My buddy was in and out of jail frequently because he was drunk and broke all the time. Anyway, I think your buddy definitly will do some jail time, but I doubt he is in jail for 12 months. For my second I did 4 days jail and 30 days house arrest.

also, for all those advocating to throw him in jail and lock away the key I guess I was wrong when I thought this forum leaned toward liberal. Sure, he deserves to be punished but the absolute best thing for any alcoholic treatment (and not knowing when to stop is #1 sign of Alchi)
Your friend should get outpatient treatment which may or may not be required as part of sentence. It looks good if he starts before trial.

[john voight]

you ppl realize how little you have to drink in order to be classified drunk? So if he blows .07 no harm done? But once he blows .08 he's out of line?

Also, its great that he is a nice guy. However no one gives a flying [censored] when he is endangering people. While Im neutral on the issue, This guy deserves what he gets; I'd give him 2 years no license after he gets out of 6 months in jail. also a nice $8k fine.

[Hopey]

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pred..

I have 2 DUIS and know 3 ppl with 3+...

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Do you realize that most people go through their lives *without* getting a DUI? You idiots are obviously driving around drunk every weekend, and don't give a [censored]. You seem to be treating getting a DUI like the rest of us treat getting a parking ticket. It's only a matter of time before one of you retards kills somebody. Sadly, I doubt that even that would deter the rest of you from driving drunk.
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also, for all those advocating to throw him in jail and lock away the key I guess I was wrong when I thought this forum leaned toward liberal.

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Surprisingly enough, liberals don't want to have to worry about you and your drunk friends killing them every time they're on the road. Once you hit 2+ DUIs, you need to go to jail, if only to remove you from society so that you stop posing a risk to the rest of us.

[matrix]

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if I made the laws getting caught DUI once would be a mandatory 1 year jail term/huge fine (depending on how intoxicated you were when caught)

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This basically tells me you have no idea how arbitrarily low .08 is for some people. I'd hate to have the 2-3 beers that Otter posted about above you and get thrown in jail for a year after getting pulled over for a BS reason unrelated to their consumption.

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alcohol impairs your ability to drive. It takes the average human body 1 hour to metabolise 1 unit of alcohol and a 1 hour lead time before that - so after 1 beer it takes ~2 hours for average joe to be perfectly sober afterwards, 2 beers ~3 hours etc.

I am not sure what the US 0.8 standard is. IMHO you shouldn't drive AT ALL if you have had any alcohol recently..

Tho the UK limit is 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, I'm guessing this is the same thing (?) - I don't think that limit is too harsh.

that being said I did qualify my "mandatory 1 year in jail" with "depending on how intoxicated you are" - I don't think throwing people in jail for being very slightly over the present limit (which seems to equate to 2-3 beers a couple of hours before driving) is a good plan - but for people who are heavily intoxicated to me this seems like a no brainer.

I think whatever penalty there is it needs to have a serious deterrant effect on people., and a huge fine (proportional to your income) I think would have this effect.

I have been anti-drink driving for a long time (way before my close friend got killed) and I probably am a little biased.

I live in the UK and have been stopped and breathalysed several times by bored traffic cops late at night for BS reasons - I always blew a zero.

IMO cars are lethal weapons in the hands of drivers who aren't competent behind the wheel. It takes less than 1 second of carelessness (and a dose of bad luck) to ruin your life and other innocent lives, alcohol is only one way that normal people can impair their driving ability - but I think it's not treated nearly as harshly as it should be.

In the UK drink driving once carries a max penalty of 6months in prison. Causing death by dangerous driving carries a max penalty of 14 years in jail.

as a comparison the maximum penalty for supplying Class C drugs (Cannabis) is 14 years in prison...

the maximum penalty for burglary is 14 years in prison...

I think DUI is more serious than burglary or Class C drug supply, and causing death by dangerous driving ought to get you into a whole lot more trouble than burglary as it is effectively manslaughter and ought to have a maximum life sentance with the courts being given a healthy dose of leeway depending on the exact circumstances of the case.

[Swiitch]

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Solution: Realize you're an adult, know that you shouldn't drink and drive and figure out, in advance, who will drink and who won't. This 2-3 beers [censored] is excuse making.

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FYP

[tuq]

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Solution: Realize you're an adult, know that you shouldn't drink and drive and figure out, in advance, who will drink and who won't. This 2-3 beers [censored] is excuse making.

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FYP

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On a large-scale basis this isn't even remotely feasible so stop being unrealistic. Later today I'm likely to meet a couple of friends at a nearby bar for a couple of beers (at least - they're 30 oz each). We're all going to come from different places and drive separately. In fact, there will probably be 60-70 people there and about 40-50 cars. I'm not going to do shots, get shitfaced, or be stupid. Just some beers and head home. And guess what? It's the same thing I've done maybe 100 times this year.

The "zero tolerance" crowd needs to work on a more practical solution. Nothing short of prohibition is going to stop people from congregating at bars, having a couple of drinks, and driving out of there. Plus they tend to interpret people like me who look for a reasonable solution as also endorsing people driving around blotto and killing people. Ridiculous.

[Jimmyjohn]

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Solution: Realize you're an adult, know that you shouldn't drink and drive and figure out, in advance, who will drink and who won't. This 2-3 beers [censored] is excuse making.

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FYP

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On a large-scale basis this isn't even remotely feasible so stop being unrealistic. Later today I'm likely to meet a couple of friends at a nearby bar for a couple of beers (at least - they're 30 oz each). We're all going to come from different places and drive separately. In fact, there will probably be 60-70 people there and about 40-50 cars. I'm not going to do shots, get shitfaced, or be stupid. Just some beers and head home. And guess what? It's the same thing I've done maybe 100 times this year.

The "zero tolerance" crowd needs to work on a more practical solution. Nothing short of prohibition is going to stop people from congregating at bars, having a couple of drinks, and driving out of there. Plus they tend to interpret people like me who look for a reasonable solution as also endorsing people driving around blotto and killing people. Ridiculous.

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Just as there are drinkers like you who have one or two and go home, there are also drinkers who have one or two at the first bar, go to the second bar, the third bar, until they are seriously impaired.

I hate the zero tolerance thing too, but until they develop a breathalyzer that will tell the cops you are indeed going home, every drinker should realized that the "one or two beers" can be the beginning pattern of behavior for impaired driving.

And yes, something short of prohibition such as designated driver would work if enforced vigorously enough. If you got popped 5 times in the 100 times you participated this year, you would find another way to kick back after work, or you would find a designated driver. Then the courts and law enforcement agencies involved would not have to make a judgement call about your future ability to operate a vehicle that evening. By your action (not driving after partaking) you would have exhibited your willingness to be a zero risk because of alcohol impairment.

If everyone was allowed to openly carry a loaded gun, some would not carry, some would use it for protection as needed only, and some would use it to murder, perhaps in a fit of rage or passion. If a guy comes home from his "one or two" to a spouse that is in a rage, he just might decide to go back where the waitress is a lot more friendly until things cool off with the spousal unit. If he is stopped and popped on the way home he won't have that opportunity to get out of line. He has already exhibited his willingness to consume a substance that impairs judgement and coordination, then drive a vehicle.

A parable: In the third grade, when little Harold dipped little Cindy's pigtails in his inkwell, little Harold's parents had to buy Becky a new blouse to replace the one that was ruined, and we all had to use pencils for a month. Little Harold got his ass kicked at home. We all lost some of our priviledges because of the misdirected action of one person.

Same thing. We didn't like it, but most worked around it by conforming. I took it personally, sneaked an inkwell into class, got caught, and my folks had to fork over half the cost of the blouse to Harold's folks. I got my ass kicked at home too. I didn't misuse the ink, but I exhibited the willingness to defy authority and put myself in a position to commit the same error.

As we alkies put it....."It's you amateurs that give us professionals a bad name!"

JJ