Didn’t you get a breathalyser test? That would’ve been a guarantee of guilt and you would’ve been charged.
Aren’t breathalyser tests done in the US?
Shit, If it were me I’d go to court to fight the ticket. If you even show up they’ll lower the charge.
In fact, I got caught in a speed trap on my way home from a party in which I had a few beers. I obviously wasn’t drunk enough to hit the cop that jumped out into the middle of the road to wave me into a parking lot. They hadn’t even asked if I were drinking. I later fought the ticket and had the charges lowered to a non-moving violation.
Getting pulled over was lesson enough. I think you guys are breaking Caseys balls.
And it can happen to drivers who are drinking also.
Until the OP says that the alcohol he consumed had nothing, whatsoever, to do with the speed he was going, I’m assuming it does.
And frankly, I’m not that impressed with people jumping down my throat. The OP not only said he was drinking and driving, he said that had he had his son with him he wouldn’t have driven - meaning to me he was concerned about his own abilities and weather they were impaired. He also suggested that next time he’ll have Altoids with him so the cop won’t smell the booze on his breath.
Pardon me, but what the fuck NEXT TIME. You drink and drive once - it means you made a mistake. If you plan on doing it again, it means you’re stupid. It doesn’t take a genius to phone a cab, crash at a buddy’s house, or call someone to pick you up. If a person can’t figure that out then they’re too stupid to drive.
And when the fates catch up to them, and they will, and that person wraps their car around a tree, I pray to the lord baby Jesus that the only person they kill is themselves.
And for the record, I would personally deliver THAT Darwin Award.
I think going 50 in a 25 zone is bad enough.
If your son was in the car you wouldnt have driven?
You know driving isnt only unsafe for those in YOUR car? Or in a car at all.
The problem is that you cannot know how well you handle alcohol and driving, because your decision-making ability and self-awareness of such are impaired well before you reach any relatively arbitrary “legal limit”. So you think you’re ok…even when you’re not.
And since we’re in the pit, I’ll put it this way. If you are driving and still must have a drink, you’re a fucking idiot. How hard is it to order a Coke?
If you need a graphic reminder, check this out. THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. Mods, if this is inappropriate please delete. It is not a frivolous site however, it’s run by an Arkansas state trooper who’s been on the scene of many of these.
Ugh… just read the whole thread and realised other people have given the same rant.
I am 100% with you Alice!
Folks, based on Casey’s description, he was well under the legal limit. The law (and safety) do not dictate that you may never drink alcohol and then drive, only that you may not drive drunk. It is not unsafe to drink one beer and then drive home. Nor is it unsafe to drink a couple beers and drive. You need to exercise careful judgment to ensure you are below the legal blood alcohol limit. Not only does Casey indicate that based on his body weight, the amount of alcohol and the amount of time involved he was sufficiently sober to drive (as a legal matter), the cops apparently agreed as they checked his reflexes and judged hm sufficiently sober as to not warrant any testing.
My deepest sympaties to anyone who has lost a loved one at the irresponsible hands of a drunk driver. Our state legislatures have enacted laws to prevent drunk driving, and anyone who breaks those laws deserves whatever punishment they get. But Casey is not one of the. The whole point of using BAC as an indicator is that it takes the guesswork out of it–no subjective analysis is needed by cops. AND it removes the guess work for citizens as well, as they may rest assured they are legally OK to drive provided they have not had so much to drink that they exceed the legal BAC limit.
As you say, wise up. You mostly seem to be teed off at the fact that you were stupid enough to get caught. The two major points to bear in mind are:
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You were going double the speed limit. That’s just taking the piss.
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You wouldn’t have driven if your own flesh and blood was in the car. If there’s enough danger to him that it would affect your decision to drive, there’s enough danger to other people’s kids too.
[quote]
*Originally posted by Casey *
. “Unsafe” is relative. I was in complete control of my vehicle. Both hands were on the wheel, and I was driving in a straight line (not swerving, not talking on a cell phone, not eating a burger…). At 24MPH over the speed limit, I am still more in control of my vehicle than some people are at 10MPH under.
Italics mine. That’s a relevant argument only when you can show me the fine print on the speed limit sign - where it says “This doesn’t apply to anyone who’s really in control of his car at twice this speed”. And frankly, being more in control of your car than people who behave idiotically doesn’t count.
Casey, you’ve said you’ve wised up and learned your lesson. That’s the right tack to take - so just take it and quit wriggling!
Thats exactly what I was going to say! Sounds like it would have been sorted much more easily. Are seat belts compulsory in the US?
You may be under the legal limit, but that dosent mean you aren’t affected. Your reaction time can be slower even at 1/3 the legal limit. Drinking and driving is always a bad idea, and you should really reconsider doing it again.
So is driving and talking on a cell phone, eating a whopper, reading the newspaper, smoking a cigarette etc.
Also, driving while on your fifteenth cup of coffee isn’t much better. If it takes a whole tribe of coffee bean pickers to support your habit, you should get more sleep.
And those bastards who are always in a hurry are the WORST!
I also notice that more and more women drive offensively these days. Whats with that?
Is there a US point system on your driving licences?
Even ignoring the drinking (automatic loss of licence for min. a year), the ‘over 45 in a 30’ will tag you 6 points in the UK. If you get 12 points (these can be given for any traffic infringement, non-working brake lights, worn tyres etc…any number of minor infringements) in the same year, you automatically lose your licence for one year.
Is there any equitable system or is driving considered legally a protected right?
Alice
The speed I was travelling was not out of the ordinary for me. I am used to driving in excess of the speed limit, whether it’s 5-10 on a city street, or 15-20 on a highway. It depends on the flow of traffic. In this case, I was careless in that I wasn’t paying complete attention. I have driven that way on that road for years. It’s a habit. A bad one, yes, but a habit nonetheless. On the freeways, if the police stopped everyone travelling in excess of 70 MPH, I’d guess that well over half of the drivers would get cited. I’m more concerned about people travelling under the speed limit than over it.
I have no doubt that a brethalyzer would not have registered more than .02-.03 tops, so no I would not have been charged, as the limit in Pennsylvania is 0.10. It would have been less, since the last beer I had was 30-45 minutes previously. I don’t know about other communities, but Scranton (I know a couple of officers) will do a field sobriety test (counting, balance, fingers to nose) to establish if it is necessary to use a brethalyzer. Obviously, despite the odor of alcohol on my breath, the officer saw no reason to persue the DUI issue. HAD I REFUSED, however, to submit to the test, I AUTOMATICALLY would have been arrested for suspicion of DUI, and would have had to submit to a blood test.
The odor of alcohol on ones breath after one beer is not unreasonable. The odor of alcohol on ones breath is not necessarily even a sign of alcohol consumption. I believe there is a common disease (maybe diabetes?) that the odor of alcohol is present when the person is having a seizure or their blood sugar level drops to dangerous levels. In my case, it was alcohol. I have admitted it to all of you, and to the police officer. I was humiliated (as I should have been. It was certainly a wake up call) by having to submit to a sobriety test. It was part of his routine, and I accept that. What I am saying with the altoid comment is that perhaps I would have avoided an embarassing situation if I had been chewing on a piece of gum or had had a mint. That’s it.
I was not and do not drive WHILE drinking. I was not speeding while distracted putting the cap back on the flask of burbon in my lap. I had a 4 beers socially over a period of 2.5 hours. This is in no way illegal, immoral, or uncommon. Prohibition ended 70 years ago, and I am well above the legal drinking age.
Yes, seatbelts are cumpulsory. This is rarely enforced, however.
**I pitted myself for being an idiot. ** That’s what this is here for, right? To call out idiots and idiotic behavior? I admitted as much several times in my OP. Does anyone else want to question my morals, ethics, and value as a human being? Yes I had a major lapse in judgement. Who among us doesn’t? Yes, I’ve learned from it. Proof is in the pudding, I know. But for fuck’s sake, alice, stop painting me as a raging alcoholic who cannot operate a vehicle without steadying my hand with a nip o’ The Recipe. If I am reading too much into your posts, I apologize.
As far as Pennsylvania, I will likely get 4 points, based on the posted and travelled MPH. At 6 points, I lose my license for 30 days. 30MPH over posted speed limit is automatic suspension for 30 days. Points burn off, IIRC, at a rate of 2 points per year with a clean driving record. If I get 4 points for this, and a similar ticket in, say 18 months, I walk for 30 days.
There are provisions for driving while suspended, I believe, such as to and from work, depending on your job, but I’m not sure
Casey, I’m not painting you as anything. I’m repeating what YOU said.
And just as a little FYI. The man who killed my cousin? The one who DECAPITATED her? Who also killed ANOTHER young girl? And caused another young man to LOSE HIS ARM?
That guy? His BAC was 0.08 - below the legal limit in your jurisdiction. The police feel that his increased blood alcohol COMBINED with EXCESSIVE SPEED is what caused the accident.
You justify what you did as much as you want. You made a mistake and you’re perfectly entitled to do that. HOWEVER, if you plan on doing this again then you’re stupid. You’re not an alcoholic. You’re not a booze hound that can’t even make the drive home without sipping his burbon. You’re just plain old stupid.
E-Z.
Alice, that’s so dramatic. Are you saying you have never driven after a couple of drinks? Oh, wait, you’re probably against drinking altogether.
You lost someone close to you because of drinking and driving and that really suck. However, it does not mean that every person who ever has a drink and drives is a danger to society.
The bottom line is, if you wouldn’t have driven as you were with your son in the car, then you shouldn’t have driven at all.
Don’t do it again. I mean, really, how hard is it to wait a while before driving home, or take a cab, or a bus?
You know what Indygrrl. I do drink. I drink scotch. I drink martinis. I drink shots of tequila. I go to BBQs and drink beer.
I don’t drink and drive Indygrrl. This is because I’m not stupid.
Well, that’s the understatement of the year. Yah. It sucks. It sucks for my whole family. It sucks that our Christmas was ruined. It sucks that my cousin is dead. It sucks that her mother is losing her mind consulting a freekin’ psychic to try to contact her daughter.
You know who it sucks for more? The guy that killed her. His life is over. He not only gets to live with the fact that he killed two people and seriously maimed another, he has a perminant criminal record. He’ll never get a job that involves driving.
Imagine that hanging over your head. 2 dead teens. Yep - that’s gonna make a guy feel great.
And just to add to the delicious irony of the situation, he didn’t get a scratch on him. Not even a bump on his head.
Actually, people who drink and drive ARE a danger to society. They’re also really, really stupid.
Dumb, dumb, dumb. REEEETAAAARDID.
STOOOPID.
And for the record, I’m not putting Casey in this group. I think he made a mistake. I’m assuing it’s not one he will make again.
Alice
Do not lump me in the same category at that guy. Every one of us, every time we get behind the wheel of a car, sober, drunk, after 1 beer or many, have the potential to do some serious damage to people and property. I AM NOT DEFENDING OR EXCUSING WHAT THAT GUY DID, please do not misinterpret me, but I broke no laws other than exceeding posted speed limit, and damaged nothing but my driving record and ego.
A 3000+ lb vehicle is a potential weapon in anyones hands, not just people who enjoy an adult beverage with friends.
Alice, I posted before I saw your post of 10:57. I apologize for reading too much into your post, and assuming that in your mind you were assimilating me with that trash. I don’t know you well enough to make assumptions like that. I’m sorry.