UK and Europe · Public discussion

True drunk driving story.

Started by Simon Mason · · Last activity · 42 posts · 4,868 views

Thread navigation

Jump through the discussion

Go to the original post, the replies on this page, or the latest preserved contribution.

Thread details

What we know about this thread

Original section
UK and Europe
Published
20 May 2004
Last activity
25 May 2004
Original author
Simon Mason
Posts
42
Discussion status
Public discussion
Total views
4,868
Views / 30 days
0

The navigation and discussion metadata provide context. Posts remain in their original chronological order.

Showing posts 1–20 of 42
Posts remain in their original chronological order.

Text size
  1. Following on from the alcoholics thread, a great true story
    just sprung to mind. Going to a very strict Catholic school
    meant that a lot of my mates were tee total (as opposed to
    the nuns and priests who stank of the stuff). This was great
    when we left school and passed our driving tests and went
    around all the country pubs. I had a pal that would happily
    drive his 4 mates (me included) around and we would keep him
    in ginger ale, or whatever stuff he was on for the night.
    Perfect symbiosis.

    In 1987, we went out for a few jars around the place and he
    was driving us home at around 2330. Blue light appears in
    mirror and Plod pulls us over. My mate opens the window and
    the copper's eyes light up as a cloud of booze envelops his
    head. He gets all excited about a major collar on his
    patch, but first he has to go through all the formalities.

    "Have you been drinking"? he says to my mate.

    "Yes" he says.

    And when was your last drink?

    Comic pause.

    "1976" !

    (he had had sherry at a christening or something when his
    guardian angel was distracted)

    HAHAHA

    On a similar note a Catholic colleague ate a bacon sarnie on
    Good Friday morning shift. When I pointed this out he looked
    at me in horror, until he relaxed and said "It's OK - no one
    will know".
    --
    Simon M.

  2. Quoted message said:

    I had a pal that would happily drive his 4 mates (me
    included) around and we would keep him in ginger ale, or
    whatever stuff he was on for the night. Perfect symbiosis.

    The crowd I hung out in, whoever drove, the rest of us would
    keep supplied with the alcohol-free stuff all evening. I've
    never had a problem not drinking & driving. As far as I'm
    concerned, it's a no-no. If someone else is driving, I'll
    happily consume a few glasses of the fermented juice of
    grape, but I will not drink/drive or cycle/drive.

    Cheers, helen s

    --This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get
    correct one remove fame & fortune
    h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$

    --Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel
    is switched off--

  3. Quoted message said:

    Going to a very strict Catholic school meant that a lot of
    my mates were tee total

    Having lived with a houseload of Catholics at university (I
    even joined the Catholic society as a social member), the
    idea of a teetotal Catholic seems quite unbelievable to me.

    Quoted message said:

    (as opposed to the nuns and priests who stank of the
    stuff).

    That sounds about right, though :-)

    Quoted message said:

    On a similar note a Catholic colleague ate a bacon sarnie
    on Good Friday morning shift. When I pointed this out he
    looked at me in horror, until he relaxed and said "It's OK
    - no one will know".

    Why should you always invite two Methodists to a party?

    If you only invite one, he'll drink all your beer.

    --
    Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my
    reply address)
    <url:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/> "He who
    dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

  4. On 20 May 2004 16:34:05 GMT, [email hidden]

    (dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers) said:

    but I will not drink/drive or cycle/drive.

    You find cycling affects your ability to drive?

  5. "dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers" <[email hidden]> wrote in
    message "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    I had a pal that would happily drive his 4 mates (me
    included) around and we would keep him in ginger ale, or


    whatever

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    stuff he was on for the night. Perfect symbiosis.

    The crowd I hung out in, whoever drove, the rest of us
    would keep supplied


    with

    Quoted message said:

    the alcohol-free stuff all evening. I've never had a
    problem not drinking


    &

    Quoted message said:

    driving. As far as I'm concerned, it's a no-no. If
    someone else is


    driving,

    Quoted message said:

    I'll happily consume a few glasses of the fermented juice
    of grape, but I


    will

    Quoted message said:

    not drink/drive or cycle/drive.

    Yes, I don't cycle/drive either. I find it's the devil's own
    job to pedal while also controlling the accelerator and
    brake on the car.

  6. Simon Mason said:

    Following on from the alcoholics thread,

    A police patrol saw a car driving just a little erratically,
    and pulled it over. The policeman asked the driver, a
    retired major type, when he last had a drink.

    "1950," boomed the major dramatically.

    The policeman apologised, and was about to let the major go,
    when the major glanced at his watch and continued,

    "...and it's already nearly 20:15, mustn't be late for my
    nightcap."

  7. "dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers" <[email hidden]> wrote in
    message "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    but I will not drink/drive or cycle/drive.

    You find cycling affects your ability to drive?

    Glad you spotted my deliberate error to see if readers are
    awake ;-)

    Of course it should be drink/cycle

    Cheers, helen s

    Is it a criminal offense to ride a bike while under the
    influence of alchohol?

  8. "erics" <eric@No_SpaMthe-stannards.co.uk_Thanks> wrote in message
    news:40adbd53$0$25326

    Quoted message said:


    Is it a criminal offense to ride a bike while under the
    influence of alchohol?

    It is, yes. You would though have to be falling off or
    wobbling about alarmingly to get done . Whether you are
    drunk is entirely subjective and up the police officer, as
    no breathalyser test is allowed. You cannot have any
    driving licence endorsement either. Riding whilst drunk is
    obviously very silly, but I have been to the pub on my
    bike, had a couple and ridden home OK, but I agree it's
    best not to.
    --
    Simon M.

  9. "erics" <eric@No_SpaMthe-stannards.co.uk_Thanks>typed

    Quoted message said:

    "dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers"
    <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:20040521023745.28998.00000885@mb-
    m22.aol.com...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    >but I will not drink/drive or cycle/drive.

    You find cycling affects your ability to drive?

    Glad you spotted my deliberate error to see if readers
    are awake ;-)

    Of course it should be drink/cycle

    Cheers, helen s

    Quoted message said:

    Is it a criminal offense to ride a bike while under the
    influence of alchohol?

    It is to be *drunk* in charge of a carriage (of which a
    bicycle is one). Drunk usually implies a higher level of
    intoxication than the drink/drive limit.

    --
    Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden] Edgware.

  10. erics said:

    Is it a criminal offense to ride a bike while under the
    influence of alchohol?

    Yes, but:

    - there is no absolute limit as for driving
    - your driving licence cannot be affected by a conviction
    for cycling while drunk

    --
    Guy
    ===
    May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
    posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.uk

    Victory is ours! Down with Eric the Half A Brain!

  11. erics said:

    Is it a criminal offense to ride a bike while under the
    influence of alchohol?

    Yep, but under the pre-breathalyser road laws - the offence
    is to be arbitrarily drunk, not to have a blood alcohol
    level above a set amount.

    (normal IANAL caveats apply)

    Roger

  12. Now I know a chap, who shall remain nameless but is a bit
    of a black sheep and has frequented Her Majesty's
    Correctional Facilities, who apparently avoided a drink
    drive charge recently.

    The copper had pulled him over and they were standing beside
    the squad car discussing the boozy smell on his breath. I
    think something must have distracted the policmen for a
    second because this chap leaned into the squad car whilst
    the copper wasn't looking and half-inched the breathalyser
    (stuffing it up his jumper.). PC subsequently can't find the
    breathalyser and lets this guy go.

    I hear that he regularly breathalyses himself with said
    stolen goods following a night on the tiles to see if he's
    within the driving
    limit. And apparently if you've eaten recently you can get
    away with a good few pints and get away with it.

    Scary.

  13. helen:

    Quoted message said:

    Whether it is or isn't matters not to me. Alcohol does
    adversely affect judgement, reflexes etc., and I really
    don't wnt to be drunk on a bike and wobble into the path
    of a vehicle, or pedestrian, other cyclist... tree...
    ditch... bed of nettles...

    Indeed. A friend of mine once found this out while cycling
    home from the pub drunk - broken arm, broken collarbone,
    numerous cuts and grazes, severe concussion...

    Fortunately, no other vehicles involved - just him and a
    kerb that wouldn't stay in its lane.

    d.

  14. Upon the miasma of midnight, a darkling spirit identified as
    dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers <[email hidden]> breathed:

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    I had a pal that would happily drive his 4 mates (me
    included) around and we would keep him in ginger ale, or
    whatever stuff he was on for the night. Perfect symbiosis.

    Quoted message said:

    The crowd I hung out in, whoever drove, the rest of us
    would keep supplied with the alcohol-free stuff all
    evening. I've never had a problem not drinking & driving.
    As far as I'm concerned, it's a no-no. If someone else is
    driving, I'll happily consume a few glasses of the
    fermented juice of grape, but I will not drink/drive or
    cycle/drive.

    The only thing that bugs me about not drinking is the utter
    lack of choice.

    Ask a pub what beers they've got and you'll get a long list
    of lagers, ales, plus at least one cider (and usually a
    different one in bottles).

    Ask them what low alcohol drinks they've got and they'll
    grunt "LA" at you, invariably some horrid lager-based thing.
    Try to explain to the barperson that "LA" simply means "low
    alcohol" and what you want is to know what choice of low
    alcohol drinks they've actually got and you'll get the same
    look you would if you ordered a deep fried ferret in fresh
    badger sauce.

    :-(

    If only they did tomato and fruit juices at decent prices it
    wouldn't be so bad, but if everyone else is drinking pints
    of ale at 1.70 each, then if I can't have a low-alcohol
    version of the same thing (note ale, *not* lager), I want a
    pint of orange or tomato juice at the same price, not some
    daft fancy version at 2 quid a (small) bottle.

    A few places, including my local Goth nightclub, do orange
    juice in the form of one litre supermarket UHT cartons from
    which they'll merrily sell you a pint for 1.60, which is
    more than reasonable, but way too many places don't.

    --
    - Pyromancer.
    - inkubus-sukkubus.co.ukinkubus-sukkubus.co.uk <-- Pagan Gothic Rock!
    - littlematchgirl.co.uklittlematchgirl.co.uk <-- Electronic Metal!
    - revival.stormshadow.comrevival.stormshadow.com <-- The Gothic
    Revival.

  15. Pyromancer said:

    Someone over the limit in charge of a motor vehicle is a
    major hazard to people other than themselves, not to
    mention their ability to damage property.

    What always baffles me is that it is seen as perfectly
    acceptable that the risk a drunk driver poses is such that
    an automatic ban is socially acceptable, yet there is an
    immediate backlash as soon as it is suggested that a similar
    penalty should apply for actually killing someone or causing
    serious injury (i.e. the outcome whose risk is considered so
    unacceptable in the case of drink-driving).

    It seems that the fact that death was an unintended
    consequence is sufficient excuse. Although in the case of a
    drunk the fact that they might have got home without harming
    anyone is not. It is most curious.

    --
    Guy
    ===
    May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
    posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.uk

    Victory is ours! Down with Eric the Half A Brain!

  16. "Pyromancer" <[email hidden]> wrote
    in message

    Quoted message said:

    If only they did tomato and fruit juices at decent prices
    it wouldn't be so bad, but if everyone else is drinking
    pints of ale at 1.70 each, then if I can't have a low-
    alcohol version of the same thing (note ale, *not* lager),
    I want a pint of orange or tomato juice at the same price,
    not some daft fancy version at 2 quid a (small) bottle.

    When I didn't drink alcohol, I used to ask for orange
    cordial, diluted with a pint of water. Cost a hell of a lot
    less than juices.

    Simon M.

  17. On Fri, 21 May 2004 09:26:57 +0100, "erics"

    eric@No_SpaMthe-stannards.co.uk_Thanks said:


    "dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers"
    <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:20040521023745.28998.00000885@mb-
    m22.aol.com...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    >but I will not drink/drive or cycle/drive.

    You find cycling affects your ability to drive?

    Glad you spotted my deliberate error to see if readers
    are awake ;-)

    Of course it should be drink/cycle

    Cheers, helen s

    Is it a criminal offense to ride a bike while under the
    influence of alchohol?

    Not only to ride a bike but even to push a bike. Or, indeed
    to stand next to a bike. The offence is "drunk in charge";
    riding is not required.

    However, as you won't get points on any licence, you can't
    be breathalysed and you're only putting yourself at risk I
    wouldn't worry too much about it.

    I wonder if drunk cycling is safer than drunk walking seeing
    as overall cycling is safer than walking.

    Other bike/booze related fact (reference mislaid): the
    average blood alcohol level of KSIs (maybe just Ks) is lower
    for cyclists than for peds, car drivers and car passengers.

    Gripe: ABD (and others) ducking responsibility for drivers
    killing people by observing that x% of K'd peds have a blood
    alcohol level greater than the limit for driving.

  18. Pyromancer said:

    Upon the miasma of midnight, a darkling spirit identified
    as "Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]>
    breathed:

    Quoted message said:

    erics wrote:

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Is it a criminal offense to ride a bike while under the
    influence of alchohol?

    Quoted message said:

    Yes, but:

    - there is no absolute limit as for driving
    - your driving licence cannot be affected by a conviction
    for cycling while drunk

    This seems mostly reasonable, as your ability to kill other
    people is rather less on a bike than in motor vehicle -
    you'd have to be going rather faster than is usually
    possible before you could wipe out a complete bus queue,
    and your ability to damage property is little greater than
    that of a pedestrian.

    A drunk cyclist is mostly a hazard to themselves, though
    they could be the cause of a different accident.

    Er, how?

    If you mean a driver might not be in full control of their
    vehicle when the drunk cyclist/ped/errant dog emerges onto
    the highway and their evasive action causes a 'different'
    incident, I'd say it's pretty clearly the driver's fault.

    Quoted message said:

    Someone over the limit in charge of a motor vehicle is a
    major hazard to people other than themselves, not to
    mention their ability to damage property.

  19. Simon Mason said:

    Following on from the alcoholics thread, a great true
    story just sprung to mind. Going to a very strict Catholic
    school ...

    Hi Simon

    I've found my excuse :-)

    James

  20. Not Responding said:
    Quoted message said:

    A drunk cyclist is mostly a hazard to themselves, though
    they could be the cause of a different accident.

    Er, how?

    If you mean a driver might not be in full control of their
    vehicle when the drunk cyclist/ped/errant dog emerges onto
    the highway and their evasive action causes a 'different'
    incident, I'd say it's pretty clearly the driver's fault.

    I don't know. Whilst I fully agree that when in charge of a
    potentially lethal object, etc...I also find it hard to
    blame any driver for, eg, being hit by a missile lobbed off
    an overbridge by a drunken [censored], and a subsequent crash. I
    think that probably goes beyond due care and diligence.

Active in the last 60 minutes

Active in this thread

0 users · 0 guests ·0 bots ·0 total

No signed-in users are active right now.

No known search crawlers active right now.