Do you drink and drive?

[An Gadaí]

Well do you? Poll to follow. If you're willing to admit you do (the poll is anonymous), under what circumstances will you and won't you do it?

[Omar Little]

I will have one or two beers or cocktails over a 2-3 hour period then drive, but nothing more than that. Since you don't define drinking and driving as driving while intoxicated, then yes, I do.

[silenus]

Not since I was a stupid teenager. Now I'm rather anal about it. Booze and driving just don't cross with me.

[Alice The Goon]

I will have one or two beers or cocktails over a 2-3 hour period then drive, but nothing more than that. Since you don't define drinking and driving as driving while intoxicated, then yes, I do.


This. I will have one or two, with food because I don't just go out drinking- this is always over dinner or at a party with food, over the course of 2 to 3 hours, and still feel comfortable driving.

[Siam Sam]

As a teenager and young adult in West Texas, hell yeah! I've grown up since then though. Back then, it was considered a right, and the cops were very lenient. I doubt I'd get away with half as much stuff as a teenager now as I did back then. Times have changed, and often for the better.

[SeaDragonTattoo]

Never.

Never, never, never.

Two classmates in high school died in drunk driving accidents, and my 6-year-old cousin was hit by a drunk driver while he was waiting for his school bus in front of his house, with his mom watching.

So, no. And I'm very judge judgy with people who do, and I don't apologize for it.

[PandaBear77]

I don't drink.

If I did -- no, never, ever, ever.

[jjimm]

A couple of times in rural Ireland (it was pretty much de rigeur where I lived) and a couple of times in Dublin, once during the taxi strike. Fucking stupid.

[faithfool]

I'm so paranoid about driving after drinking, that I won't even do it if all I've had is one cocktail with dinner. I'll just let the husband take the wheel, then I can have two!

[Farmer Jane]

No. Not at all. One drink = someone else is driving. Period. There are good reasons for this (http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/understanding-08.html). I'm in favor of lowering the BAC levels, too. If we can't text and drive (or phone and drive), why wine and drive?

Oh, and hey, don't drive while you are hungover. Same thing.

[what do I type here]

I have in the past but will never do so again.

[SpoilerVirgin]

I don't drink or drive.

[Cunctator]

What does 'drink' mean? Do you mean drink enough alcohol to be over the legal limit? Or simply drink any alcohol at all?

[bengangmo]

I don't mind a beer or two before driving - so long as I'm under the limit.

I have driven smashed before - and it's rather scary.

[Sudden Kestrel]

I find driving when I'm completely sober to be terrifying, so I doubt adding alcohol to the mix (hee) would make me feel any safer.

When I was a tyke and would visit my father in a nearby town, he would often drive me and my siblings home after he spent the whole day drinking at the local tavern. While the younger kids slept in the back seat, I had to remain absolutely vigilant in the front passenger seat so I could nudge my dad awake when he dozed and crossed the center line or wandered toward the ditch. I was all of 8 years old.

Even after more than 40 years, that's still one of the most terrifying things I have ever experienced. The memory of it is enough to keep me from taking the wheel when I'm in any way impaired.

[amanset]

I won't even do the "I can have one beer" thing. That just makes me want to have a second beer and then I get grumpy because I can't.

So no, I don't.

[Gary T]

What does 'drink' mean? Do you mean drink enough alcohol to be over the legal limit? Or simply drink any alcohol at all?I was going to ask this as well. I think it makes a HUGE difference in the meaning of the question and the significance of the answers.

[Alessan]

Last Friday night I had a single (1/2 liter) glass of beer at a party. That's my ultimate limit, and more than I usually drink when I'm driving.

I have no problem of self-control when it comes to alcohol. Food, yes, but not booze.

[jabiru]

I don't drink alcohol at all these days but when I was younger and stupider, I'd drive after a few too many. Not often, but I'm not proud of having done so at all. I was very lucky not to have caused an accident.

[don't ask]

I go to the club most Fridays with guys from work. I have one real beer and one light beer and then drive home. I have been breath tested several times without any problems.

[don't ask]

I should add that before random breath testing was brought in and the associated education campaign began I, and most of my friends, routinely drove around drunk. On any given weekend there would be carloads of us at the pub getting drunk to then drive to a party to drink more before driving home. I think we all just thought that we drove more carefully when drunk and it would all be OK. God knows how but no-one I knew ever died while DUI.

[An Gadaí]

What does 'drink' mean? Do you mean drink enough alcohol to be over the legal limit? Or simply drink any alcohol at all?

Well it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, in some places a single drink will put you over the limit. But I suppose to clarify, would you have a drink if you had driven to the place you were having the drink and intended leaving that same evening.

[Hokkaido Brit]

No. I don't think that my judgement is sound, even after one drink. And in Japan the legal limit is 0 anyway. This was not alway enforced, but you can be sure it would for a foreigner.... And since there were some horrific accidents a few years ago, enforcement is now pretty much universal anyway. As it should be.

[don't ask]

And in Japan the legal limit is 0 anyway.

Are you sure about that? Last I heard from friends who live in Japan it was .03, mind you it also included charging people who traveled with the drunk driver, served alcohol to the drunk driver, loaned a vehicle to the drunk driver.

And how could you safely stay under .03?

[Blackberry]

I've done it in my life, but not many times, and not at all recently. I guess I'll answer that I used to, even though that kind of makes it sound like it used to a regular thing...

[Blackberry]

Are you sure about that? Last I heard from friends who live in Japan it was .03, mind you it also included charging people who traveled with the drunk driver, served alcohol to the drunk driver, loaned a vehicle to the drunk driver.

And how could you safely stay under .03?

I don't know about Japan, but I know that here in WA they say (on signs and stuff) that it's zero tolerance for people under 21, but really the limit is .02. I've heard that's to make allowances for things like cold medicine that contains alcohol.

[Hokkaido Brit]

Yes, sorry. Legally in Japan it's 0.03, but in reality it's nothing. The number is to allow for medications and other things that might affect blood alcohol levels.

Socially, it's 0 if you are driving. My husband had to sign a contract with work that states he will never drink and drive. If he's caught it's an automatic firing offence - on or off work time.

[Wallenstein]

Last night I had a pint of lager after a tennis match and then drove 5 mins home, which I do now and again. Never anything more than that though (under any circumstances).

If I'm driving with other people in the car, particularly under 18, then it's a definite no alcohol at all rule (but mostly from a perception thing).

Statistically you are less likely to have a crash after one drink than after none. There are a few reasons for this: first is that stats can be tweaked to show almost anything (especially as more drivers drive with no alcohol).

Having said that... after one drink people can be more vigilant ("I've had a drink so I'll watch my speed, don't want to get busted"), plus alcohol is a depressant which in mild amounts can improve concentration by relaxing nerves. There's a reason alcohol is banned for many sports, because in small doses it does have a positive effect on e.g. shooting or archery (where a steady hand is required).

No cite to hand, but I think I've referenced the study somewhere on SDMB so might see if I can dig it out. The obvious problem is that "one drink" means different things to different people,* which makes it hard to specify the "safe" limit.


*This is why in the UK pregnant women are advised to avoid all alcohol. The reality is that many midwives will recommend a glass of wine, but while my wife (for example) stuck to 100-125ml and no more, other people interpret a "glass" to mean a brimming 250-300ml measure ("but it's still only one glass!").

[Mops]

Yes, if the driving is undemanding I'd drink at most one glass of wine (but more usually one glass of Weinschorle i.e. wine/water 1:1 - a popular drink with dinner for moderate drinkers hereabouts.)

[Mangetout]

I voted for option 4, because it's not clear whether you mean [drink beyond the legal (or accepted, reasonable, safe) level] or [drink at all], and drive.

I occasionally drink a small amount, well below that necessary to render me legally intoxicated, and drive.

[Eureka]

I picked no, never, but given that I almost never touch alcohol, I'm not convinced that my answer speaks for the attitude of most people.

[FairyChatMom]

Other - I did once, over 35 years ago. I knew it was dumb then, but I had to get home.

Now I almost never drink, and if I do, it's when I know I won't be going anywhere.

[chiroptera]

I voted "I used to" because back when I was young and dumb and went out to bars and parties a lot, I most certainly did drive while drunk on many occasions. Much of that was before the laws got strict, and I was lucky enough to never get into any sort of accident.

Now, absolutely never, haven't done so in...well, probably since some time in the late 1980s.

I've known several people who've gotten busted for drunk driving - it's an absolutely unacceptable risk, IMO. Not to mention socially unacceptable.

[Wallenstein]

I voted for option 4, because it's not clear whether you mean [drink beyond the legal (or accepted, reasonable, safe) level] or [drink at all], and drive.

I occasionally drink a small amount, well below that necessary to render me legally intoxicated, and drive.

Just out of interest (because this is pretty much my approach) do you have a specific definition of "small amount"?

I only ask as I put my own absolute max limit at a pint of 3-4% lager, but I know other people who reckon two pints is still under the limit.

[Siam Sam]

I voted "I used to" because back when I was young and dumb and went out to bars and parties a lot, I most certainly did drive while drunk on many occasions. Much of that was before the laws got strict, and I was lucky enough to never get into any sort of accident.

Now, absolutely never, haven't done so in...well, probably since some time in the late 1980s.

I've known several people who've gotten busted for drunk driving - it's an absolutely unacceptable risk, IMO. Not to mention socially unacceptable.

Indeed. Helps that I've not owned a car in decades, but I'd never chance it now anyway. My usual bar back in Texas, I had the side streets leading to home memorized and used to sneak through those rather than chance the main roads. But one time when I was 17, I did get pulled over. I must have reeked of beer. They may not have had breathalyzers back then, but I must have seemed coherent enough, as they did not make me walk a straight line or anything. I told them I was heading straight home (which was true, so they just let me go and said to be careful. Imagine that happening anymore.

[Omar Little]

But I suppose to clarify, would you have a drink if you had driven to the place you were having the drink and intended leaving that same evening.

Why not? Having one drink during an evening is not enough to impair your ability to drive. Based upon this standard, I'm not sure what you are attempting to gather from this poll? What % of dopers that will not drive anywhere even with one drink in their body?

[MsWhatsit]

Why not? Having one drink during an evening is not enough to impair your ability to drive.

This really depends on the circumstances. If I have a beer at 7 pm and then drive home at 10 pm, obviously that's no problem for me. If I have a beer at 7 pm and then try to drive home at 7:30, I'm going to be impaired. Maybe not everybody would, but I definitely would.

[Omar Little]

This really depends on the circumstances. If I have a beer at 7 pm and then drive home at 10 pm, obviously that's no problem for me. If I have a beer at 7 pm and then try to drive home at 7:30, I'm going to be impaired. Maybe not everybody would, but I definitely would.

Lightweight! :D

[TokyoBayer]

Yes, sorry. Legally in Japan it's 0.03, but in reality it's nothing. The number is to allow for medications and other things that might affect blood alcohol levels.The way it's written, it can be anything above zero if you are "impaired," which means you are toast if you get into an accident.

Back in the 80s, when I was young and stupid, we would go to bars and drive home. On occasion, I would drive home drunk. Thank the gods that nothing happened and I didn't cause an accident or hurt anyone.

[An Gadaí]

Why not? Having one drink during an evening is not enough to impair your ability to drive. Based upon this standard, I'm not sure what you are attempting to gather from this poll? What % of dopers that will not drive anywhere even with one drink in their body?

But depending on your jurisdiction it might be enough to get you in trouble.

[PapSett]

These days, if I have a beer or 2 with dinner, yes, I'll drive home. In my young & stupid days, I used to go out drinking after work, have WAY too much and drive on home. Stupid, stupid STUPID. There were a couple close calls-most memorably, coming home from my favorite bar, which was out kinda in the boonies on a dark, twisty road. I came around a curve a *little* too fast and there was a car stalled in the road, the 2 occupants standing behind it. I slammed on my brakes, fishtailed, and came to a stop about 15 feet from them. I can still see their faces full of fright in my headlights.

Yeah, I don't do that any more.

[Anaamika]

I voted 4, because I have, but I don't do it as a rule. I have no problem with one drink and driving, but mainly because 1) I always drink with a meal and 2) I always drink mixed drinks, which are not really very strong.

Once, however, we made a big mistake. We went out to dinner at Olive Garden, and ordered their sangria. Somehow there was a mixup in the order andwe got a pitcher. Well, we took our time, and ate, and drank. The sangria didn't taste alcoholic at all, but it was super yummy, so we drank it - and finished up the pitcher.

By the time we were halfway home we realized we were impaired. We drove slowly and carefully and got home all right, but we learned our lesson.

Nowadays he usually doesn't drink at all, and so I let him drive.

[Ferret Herder]

Per the "drunk any alcohol" clarification, then yes, I have, frequently. My usual "designated driver" behavior is to have a single drink to start with, and then switch to caffeinated beverages for the rest of the evening.

If you mean impaired legally, no, but I was a passenger in a car where both the driver and I were probably legally impaired, and also young and stupid and paranoid as all fuck. We drove home very cautiously, using back roads and driving under the speed limit, and I think the sole car we had around us during the mile or so drive was a police car that followed us for a bit (cue the chorus of swearing) and then turned off. So, at least the driving was sufficiently normal at that point, and our perception of it was that it was smooth and overly cautious throughout. No weaving, nothing like that. Neither of us ever did anything that utterly stupid again.

[MeanOldLady]

Define "drink." Am I one of those people who calls a cab because I had a glass of Pinot Noir with dinner? No. Fuck me, but I'm well under the limit at that point, and my ability to navigate a car has not been compromised. It's one glass of wine on a full stomach, not five rounds of Jager bombs. I don't subscribe to MADD's zero-tolerance bullshit. Omar Little is right.

[rhubarbarin]

I neither drive, nor drink enough to be over the legal limit, so chose other. Though I don't think you're stupid, I'm an extreme outlier in not knowing how to drive.

[Mangetout]

Just out of interest (because this is pretty much my approach) do you have a specific definition of "small amount"?

I only ask as I put my own absolute max limit at a pint of 3-4% lager, but I know other people who reckon two pints is still under the limit.

One pint of average strength beer or two if consumed with lots of food. I've been breathalysed after drinking this amount and I was comfortably under the limit, so all other variables being equal, that's what I consider my limit.

[MsWhatsit]

Lightweight! :D

Well...yeah. :)

This thread is interesting to me, because I was raised by a near-teetotalling parent and never had the experience of seeing someone drink a glass of wine or beer with dinner and then drive home. And then all of the MADD propaganda you get in school implies that if you have a beer and you drive any time in the next 24 hours, you are a murderer who should get the death penalty.

So as an adult, I've seen friends have a drink or two and then drive home some time afterward, and I've wondered, how do you gauge whether you're OK or not? I mean, I feel OK to drive after one beer an hour or two ago, but am I really? (On re-reading, this sounds as though I'm implying that I know the answer to this and the answer is "YOU NEVER KNOW, YOU DRUNK DRIVING DOUCHEBAG." But seriously, I wonder this, because I have no experience with it but would sort of like to.)

[Anaamika]

Well...yeah. :)

This thread is interesting to me, because I was raised by a near-teetotalling parent and never had the experience of seeing someone drink a glass of wine or beer with dinner and then drive home. And then all of the MADD propaganda you get in school implies that if you have a beer and you drive any time in the next 24 hours, you are a murderer who should get the death penalty.

So as an adult, I've seen friends have a drink or two and then drive home some time afterward, and I've wondered, how do you gauge whether you're OK or not? I mean, I feel OK to drive after one beer an hour or two ago, but am I really? (On re-reading, this sounds as though I'm implying that I know the answer to this and the answer is "YOU NEVER KNOW, YOU DRUNK DRIVING DOUCHEBAG." But seriously, I wonder this, because I have no experience with it but would sort of like to.)

I don't drink a lot, but you get to know pretty quickly. Alcohol goes to my head pretty quickly but if I eat with it, and it's just a light drink, I am fine. I just never ever drink more than 1-2 drinks, though, so perhaps I am a bad example.

[aceplace57]

I'll have one mug of beer with my pizza and drive home.

That's still a safe amount and wouldn't put anyone over the limit.

I said never in the poll. The wording implied yes meant to excess. I haven't risked driving intoxicated since I was a teenager thirty years ago.

[phreesh]

I'll put my hand up and say that I drink and drive.

Not hammered, but absolutely over the limit where I live.

How do I justify this?

1) It's very late at night and I will see only a handful of cars during the entire drive.
2) I am acutely aware of my condition and drive very conservatively.
3) It is a very short distance. Not more than 4 kim.
4) Again, I am not hammered, merely 'buzzed'

Why do I do it? Very inconvenient to find alternative arrangements.

[MeanOldLady]

And then all of the MADD propaganda you get in school implies that if you have a beer and you drive any time in the next 24 hours, you are a murderer who should get the death penalty.<stifles MADD rant... deep breath> Yes. MADD has actually done more harm than good with their "zOMG half a sip of Merlot makes you a baby murderer!" hysteria. Somehow their focus has shifted from stopping impaired drivers from harming people to stamping out normal behaviors altogether. No wonder their founder cut ties with the organization, labeling them as a band of neo-prohibitionists, and actually worked against their efforts to dwindle the legal BAC down to zero. Shouldn't we stop this "No one is allowed to have a beer at the baseball game" lunacy and start with the "Hey, let's go after people who are actually impaired while driving"?

I said never in the poll. The wording implied yes meant to excess. I haven't risked driving intoxicated since I was a teenager thirty years ago.Huh. I put sometimes in the poll because I didn't think the wording implied anything other than what it said.

[Anaamika]

<stifles MADD rant... deep breath> Yes. MADD has actually done more harm than good with their "zOMG half a sip of Merlot makes you a baby murderer!" hysteria. Somehow their focus has shifted from stopping impaired drivers from harming people to stamping out normal behaviors altogether. No wonder their founder cut ties with the organization, labeling them as a band of neo-prohibitionists, and actually worked against their efforts to dwindle the legal BAC down to zero.

Yeah, especially because then people have one drink, are fine, and think "If MADD is wrong about this, what else are they wrong about?" When your message is all hysteria, no one listens.

[DigitalC]

I did a lot when i was young, not anymore though. I feel bad about it sometimes, but at least i can tell myself i drove a lot worse when i was sober back then.

[FrancisCastle]

I used to drive "buzzed" fairly frequently in my mid 20s, until I got pulled over for a DUI. Spending the night in jail, losing my license for 6 months and paying a large fine was more than enough of a deterrent for me to never drink and drive again. I don't see a problem with having a beer with dinner though.

[control-z]

Sure, used to drink a beer or two while driving, never had any trouble. I know driving is a very serious business but this was me alone driving on deserted roads, I was maybe getting buzzed but not swerving or running off the road. No harm done to anyone and I lived to tell about it.

Several of my friends had parents that routinely went out for a drive after dinner, mixed drinks in hand. I guess it's just a relaxing thing to do.

Trouble is some people don't know their limits and drive when they are blind drunk. That has led to very little tolerance so you better hope when you get in an accident that you don't happen to have been drinking. So no more drink and drive for me.

[Vihaga]

When not pregnant, I'll have one drink with dinner and feel comfortable driving, but that's it. One glass of wine over a 2 hour dinner, and I seriously doubt there's a significant amount of alcohol left in my system. My standard designated driver system for parties is that I'll have one drink at the beginning, then switch to non-alcoholic stuff for the rest of the evening, because there's no freaking way I'm impaired four hours after having one drink. If I'm going to be somewhere all day (a festival or a day at someone's house), I might have two at the beginning of the day. That way, even halving the old saw that you can metabolize a drink an hour, I'm easily in the clear. If I were even close to feeling "buzzed," I wouldn't even think about driving.


Now I'm not drinking at all, so it doesn't matter.

[chiroptera]

Dropping back in to clarify that I interpreted "drink and drive" in the OP as drinking to the point of being impaired, or over the legal limit wherever one lives.

I most certainly have had a glass or two (two is my limit if I know I'm going to drive) of wine while dining out or at a get-together, then driven home on occasion. But haven't been actually drunk, legally over the limit AFAIK, or even mildly buzzed, while driving in at least two decades.

[Magiver]

I have a low tolerance for alcohol so I don't drink much but I do drive after drinking. I've been pulled over and tested so I know my self imposed limitations are below any limit that shows impairment.

[Invisible Chimp]

I neither drive, nor drink enough to be over the legal limit, so chose other. Though I don't think you're stupid, I'm an extreme outlier in not knowing how to drive.

You're not as much an outlier as you might think. I've never had my driver's license and I'm 32. If I drink, it's hardly ever more than four drinks. I almost voted never, but voted other because of my non-driving status.

[JoelUpchurch]

I'll put my hand up and say that I drink and drive.

Not hammered, but absolutely over the limit where I live.

How do I justify this?

1) It's very late at night and I will see only a handful of cars during the entire drive.
2) I am acutely aware of my condition and drive very conservatively.
3) It is a very short distance. Not more than 4 kim.
4) Again, I am not hammered, merely 'buzzed'

Why do I do it? Very inconvenient to find alternative arrangements.

Does paying $9 for a cab qualify as "very inconvenient". My old roommate used to pay several times that to avoid driving home.

[Crown Prince of Irony]

I only ever go out drinking while I'm on business trips, so I'm always walking or taking a cab. Otherwise, if I am driving, I limit myself to one beer or glass of wine with a full meal, otherwise I don't drink unless I have a driver.

[Hilarity N. Suze]

I used to, including one night when I was very, very drunk. But not so drunk that I would have driven the wrong way on the highway, or thought that my car could fly over culverts. Not even so drunk that I wobbled across the center line, frankly. But drunk enough that my reaction time could have seriously been in question.

And just so we're clear, I wasn't going a long way, I didn't do this a lot, and it was absolutely essential, as in, my friend and I got drunk, and it wasn't the kind of neighborhood where she could walk home, and it wasn't the kind of neighborhood where we could have put her in a cab, and everybody else really was too drunk to drive.

These days, I will drive home if I've had a drink or two, but I almost never have more than one unless I'm already home. At two drinks, I'm probably over the limit, because it's been lowered and lowered, but I'm also not impaired and not likely to get stopped. For the most part I don't do it because of that lowered legal limit and because the driving in general has gotten much, much worse in my area in the last few years, while my reaction time has probably suffered some, too.

[FlyByNight512]

So as an adult, I've seen friends have a drink or two and then drive home some time afterward, and I've wondered, how do you gauge whether you're OK or not? I mean, I feel OK to drive after one beer an hour or two ago, but am I really? (On re-reading, this sounds as though I'm implying that I know the answer to this and the answer is "YOU NEVER KNOW, YOU DRUNK DRIVING DOUCHEBAG." But seriously, I wonder this, because I have no experience with it but would sort of like to.)

Like Anaamika said, I think most people get to know their bodies and are generally good judges of "I'm totally sober" vs. "I can feel it a bit". Telling the difference between "I've had one or two but I'm still safe" vs. "nope, shouldn't be driving" is where people's judgment falls apart.

If I can't feel it AT ALL and I'm above the one hour per drink line I'm going to go ahead and assume I'm safe to drive. Just to be safe, I don't have more than one drink early in the evening if I'm planning to drive regardless of how long the evening is. I also have trouble telling the difference between being tired and slightly inebriated sometimes - I figure either way, I'm impaired and shouldn't be driving. Fortunately my husband is usually happy to be the DD, and we do most of our drinking at home anyway. :D

I know my dad drank heavily in college and drove home quite often. He was damn lucky he never crashed. He also outgrew that stage of his life in fairly short order - had he continued to play the odds, I have no doubt that he would have lost.

[voguevixen]

I'm in the "two drinks with food and I nurse them" category, and about half the time even then I'll walk to the mall and shop, or movie theater after to "sober up."

Plus I live like 10 blocks from the Chili's I usually drink at.

Luckily I live in an area where there is ample access to public transportation and that's usually what I take if I know I'm going to be drinking, but there was one time several years ago where I *did* drive while impaired and I'll never do it again. (A Dopefest, oddly enough.) It was held several cities away from where I lived and it was so late I was afraid to call my husband to pick me up. I did think to take the back roads so there was hardly any traffic.

I have a pretty decent problem with alcohol, but I tend to contain 95% of my drinking to home. (Most embarrassing moment: During a checkup my doctor asked me how much I drank and when I told her she asked "And how many DUIs do you have?" OUCH!!! - [none, for the record.])

[voguevixen]

Does paying $9 for a cab qualify as "very inconvenient". My old roommate used to pay several times that to avoid driving home.

I think at some chain restaurants they have an arrangement with a certain local cab company where they will call one for you and you get a lift home free of charge. I seem to remember reading a sign of that nature near the bathrooms of some Chili's. Not sure how common it is though.

...Well I Googled and can't find any mention of this so maybe it's only the Chili's in the town I used to live in.

[Covered_In_Bees!]

I do not make a habit of having any Dr Pepper while driving. Cup or can goes into the cupholder and stays there until I'm at my destination, where I will then finish my tasty beverage.

[voguevixen]

I do not make a habit of having any Dr Pepper while driving. Cup or can goes into the cupholder and stays there until I'm at my destination, where I will then finish my tasty beverage.

When I was a kid I used to think that's what drinking and driving actually meant. I sweated the entire drive to school hoping we wouldn't get pulled over because my mom was drinking a cup of coffee.

[Richard Pearse]

I drink and drive as long as I haven't drunk enough to put me over the legal limit.

[Covered_In_Bees!]

Drinking while driving is kinda difficult. Can maybe get a quick sip of something in at a red light but other than that I'm actually paying attention to the road. Nevermind trying to mess around with a cup or can of anything making sure I don't spill it, let alone an actual sip of the beverage.

[Busy Scissors]

Never done it even once, and I like a drink. Combination of socially unacceptable for my generation and there really been no excuse in (sub)urban UK. Can't even think of any particular instance where I've thought about doing it, which is saying a lot over a 20 year boozing career.

My Dad's generation, on the other hand, or my Mum's family in rural Ireland - drinking and driving was pretty normal in the old days.

[voguevixen]

My Dad's generation, on the other hand, or my Mum's family in rural Ireland - drinking and driving was pretty normal in the old days.

Yes, my parents grew up in a fairly rural area and considered this the norm. So much so that one night after visiting relatives they were obviously hammered and I begged and begged them to let me drive. They finally relented...I was about 14 and had never driven a car before but I considered that safer than one of them behind the wheel.

[2square4u]

how could you safely stay under .03?

It's pretty simple: Don't drink any alcoholic beverages before driving. Duh!

To the poll: Nothing. If I'm planning to drive during the next 3-6 hours, you won't find anything stronger than soda or mineral water in my glass.
There's a gray zone where your abilities to keep the car on the road aren't significantly impaired, but your reflexes are. For most people, that grey zone is usually located somewhere between .08 and around/below .05, and that's the reason many countries have a limit of 0.02 or 0.03 today. And yes, there are other things that may or may not impair your driving, but none as easy to avoid as alcohol.

[ProbablyProcrastinating]

I didn't answer the poll.

I know exactly how much (85% of one serving) I can have to be under the legal limit. I always assume "empty stomach" even if I've eaten. I don't count the time between drinking and driving, ever (so, for example, I wouldn't say I could have two drinks and drive home because it's been 2.5 hours). In other words, I use the simplest, most reliable test (volume of alcohol vs. volume of me). This means, effectively, I don't drink when I go out, at least not more than a few sips, unless I'm walking home or have a ride.

BUT--that said, I suppose that yes, I do drink and drive. I will drink about half a drink and drive later that night. I think it's safe because that's where the legal limit is, and I usually do other things that make it even less likely that I'm anywhere near the legal limit, like eating a full meal with a drink at dinner, waiting at least an hour or two before getting in my car, etc.

I have never driven drunk, and by that I mean, I have never driven with enough alcohol in my system to put me over the legal limit. I know this because I know my weight category and I know what I'm drinking.

[slm2955]

Nah

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

I gave up drinking and driving when I gave up drinking, over 21 years ago.

Ironically, in college (mid 70's) I was the designated driver for my group, because I could "hold my liquor". My friends would have two or three drinks and be absolutely blotto, while I had 8 or a dozen and seemed barely tipsy. So I got to drive us all home (often covering one eye to cut down on the double vision.) Scary memories.

[chiroptera]

I gave up drinking and driving when I gave up drinking, over 21 years ago.

Ironically, in college (mid 70's) I was the designated driver for my group, because I could "hold my liquor". My friends would have two or three drinks and be absolutely blotto, while I had 8 or a dozen and seemed barely tipsy. So I got to drive us all home (often covering one eye to cut down on the double vision.) Scary memories.

Yes, yes! Me too...I have been designated driver (many years ago) time and time again , including week-long tequila trips into Mexico, for this exact reason. And did the same driving with one eye closed, dropping people off here and there and barely remembering it in the morning.

If I was of glurgy inclination I might buy into the "someone was looking out for me" (and everyone I drove) persuasion because I never got into an accident, hurt anybody, got a ticket or even got stopped. I'm not, but damn I shudder to think now. And if I had children, I would truly slap them silly for behaving the way I did.

[Siam Sam]

Ironically, in college (mid 70's) I was the designated driver for my group, because I could "hold my liquor". My friends would have two or three drinks and be absolutely blotto, while I had 8 or a dozen and seemed barely tipsy. So I got to drive us all home (often covering one eye to cut down on the double vision.) Scary memories.

Yes, yes! Me too...I have been designated driver (many years ago) time and time again , including week-long tequila trips into Mexico, for this exact reason. And did the same driving with one eye closed, dropping people off here and there and barely remembering it in the morning.

If I was of glurgy inclination I might buy into the "someone was looking out for me" (and everyone I drove) persuasion because I never got into an accident, hurt anybody, got a ticket or even got stopped. I'm not, but damn I shudder to think now. And if I had children, I would truly slap them silly for behaving the way I did.

Ditto. In fact, quite a few substances in my wild youth seemed unable to render me unable to drive, so I was often the designated driver. Again, would never try that these days.

[Rushgeekgirl]

I don't even drink.
When I was very young I did one time because I had no choice and really didn't realize how drunk I was until I was about halfway home and realized I was driving with my hand over one eye in order to focus.

[Crafter_Man]

I used to drink and drive all the time. Six years ago I got busted on a DUI. I no longer drink and drive. In retrospect, getting the DUI (which was reduced to "Physical Control") was a good thing for me.

[Taomist]

I chose 'used to', in the spirit of complete honesty.
What usually happened is that I'd be the soberest one, and would drive everyone else home.
Never more than a couple of drinks, but still, I got lucky. The only time I got stopped was because I brushed the curb on a turn, cop stopped us, saw the rather drunken medical personnel in the back, asked if I was the designated driver, and I answered 'yes, sir!'. We both knew he *could* have had me blow the whatsit-thingy and I would have come up with booze on my breath, if hardly any in my blood, but the alternative seemed less messy. I've always appreciated that, though I know he'd have felt like shit had I been actually drunk and done damage later.

I've never driven my own car after imbibing, though. Probably because I've rarely owned a car.
Drunken BIKE riding, now that I'll cop to full on. :p


Weaving down the streets of Eugene, with Tom Waits' "Innocent When You Dream" blasting from the boombox strapped to my bike...good times, good times. :D

[Peeta Mellark]

I've never driven after having so much as a sip of alcohol. I'm extremely paranoid about this sort of thing.

[Uncommon Sense]

Sorry, but yes I do. I often drive over the legal limit, although I've never been tested so I don't know for sure. I consider myself to be an excellent driver and even more cautious when drinking. No DUI's to my credit and not a single accident on my record (in 25 years of driving). I go STRAIGHT home if I've been drinking and take it very easy at that. I think I have a higher tolerance than most. I have been pulled over for minor traffic violations when drinking and the police haven't suspected that I was under the influence.

[CutterJohn]

Does paying $9 for a cab qualify as "very inconvenient". My old roommate used to pay several times that to avoid driving home.

You make the mistake of assuming all places have cabs.

Where I'm from drunk driving is still commonplace, and when I'm home, I still do it. Why? Because its rural BFE, there are exactly 2 bars within five miles, and when the bars close at the end of the night, its all gravel roads back home. I have seen, quite literally, less than ten cars total on the innumerable drives home over the years. There has been only one single drunk driving death in my memory around here, and I believe the fact that he was on a motorcycle, on gravel, when he hit a deer had far more to do with it.

Of course I tell city friends this and they act like I'm drag racing through school crossings while chugging a fifth of everclear during rush hour. Its simply not the same sort of risk at all that it is in a city. Which, for the record, I'd never even consider driving drunk in, for two reasons. First, theres tons of other people on tons of roads with tons of weird traffic signals. Second.. there are actually cops. Our town cop(yes, singular) worked 9-5 on the weekdays. Nobody is really sure exactly what he does all day since there was never any crime, but people generally agree that we should have a cop for some reason, so he keeps getting paid.

[TreacherousCretin]

Absolutely never have and never will.

.

[Stendhal Syndrome]

I said yes. I am not much of a drinker, but I have nursed one light beer for an hour or two and then driven.

[Acid Lamp]

I drove home a few times in college a little more tipsy then I should have been. It was scary. No more of that for me. Two beers an evening and no more if I suspect I may have to drive soon. I hate having to sit around waiting to sober up.

[raskolnik]

I haven't driven a car since Junior year of college. Everybody thinks I got a DUI and lost my liscense, but I only spend a few weeks in the US every 2 years so won't pay for the insurance. My liscense expired in 2008.

[Antigen]

Well it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, in some places a single drink will put you over the limit. But I suppose to clarify, would you have a drink if you had driven to the place you were having the drink and intended leaving that same evening.

I'll have to change my answer then, because I assumed you meant driving while impaired. I have had one glass of wine with dinner and then driven home without a second thought, but I'll never get behind the wheel if I'm feeling buzzed in the slightest.

[Shawn K]

You make the mistake of assuming all places have cabs.

Where I'm from drunk driving is still commonplace, and when I'm home, I still do it. Why? Because its rural BFE, there are exactly 2 bars within five miles, and when the bars close at the end of the night, its all gravel roads back home. I have seen, quite literally, less than ten cars total on the innumerable drives home over the years. There has been only one single drunk driving death in my memory around here, and I believe the fact that he was on a motorcycle, on gravel, when he hit a deer had far more to do with it.

Of course I tell city friends this and they act like I'm drag racing through school crossings while chugging a fifth of everclear during rush hour.

Doesn't everyone drag race like that?

I don't quite live complete bfe but I do live in a smaller city and people driving buzzed/drunk is fairly common. If it's a friday or saturday you can be waiting several hours for a cab, in the winter it gets -30 to -40 so not much walking going on. Thankfully several places finally started offering shuttle service the last 2-3 years.

[Magiver]

Doesn't everyone drag race like that?

I don't quite live complete bfe but I do live in a smaller city and people driving buzzed/drunk is fairly common. If it's a friday or saturday you can be waiting several hours for a cab, in the winter it gets -30 to -40 so not much walking going on. Thankfully several places finally started offering shuttle service the last 2-3 years.
What's amazing is that you can sit off the road and watch stupid drive by. I've always been a huge opponent of sobriety check sites when it's so easy to spot drunks going by. Take the same number of personnel at a check site and scatter them around town. I saw 2 drunks on the road last night. When you can hear gravel flying out of a bar parking lot down the road that's a que to look out the window and aim a speed gun at whatever piece of stupid is heading your way. Lather rinse and repeat.

[Full Metal Lotus]

In 1959, an accident occurred between a drunk driver and a car full of guys coming back from a fishing trip. They were all killed. The guys coming back from the fishing trip were my grand father, two uncles and a family friend.
In 1961 a drunk driver took out my father - I was 8 months old. My mother was pregnant with my brother.
Thanks to drunk drivers, I was the oldest living male in my family at 8 months.

Now I used to drink - stopped completely a year or so ago, and there were times when I drank heavily.

I NEVER would get behind the wheel of a car after having so much as 1 beer. I made that my rule, as I knew my drinking patterns (If I was fine after drinking 1 beer, then next time 2 would be OK, then 3 and so on...) So I never drank if I was going to drive.

Never have - never will.

[Swords to Plowshares]

I assumed the poll meant driving at, above, or near the legal limit, in which case no, never.

I'm very paranoid about drunk driving and I won't drive if I've had more than the equivalent of 2 drinks. An exception might be if I've had more but I've been out for long enough that I don't feel buzzed any more.

[Bookkeeper]

Yes, very occasionally. Never if I have more than one drink. Either my wife drives or I don't drink more than one (and I rarely drink and my wife drinks even less, anyway).