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The drink driving hysteria

Robert Henderson | 19.12.2005 10:23

Only a small proportion of road deaths are caused by drink yet drink driving is demonised and punished more serverely than other more serious contributors to driving accidents.

The sound of jingle bells heralds the annual pc hysteria over drink
driving.

There are approximately 3,500 road deaths a year in the UK. Of those
around 500 involve people over the limit. In the nature of things some
of those 500 deaths will have been caused by factors other than drink,
eg, a blown tyre or failing brakes.

The real question which needs to be asked is why so much more police
time and public money is spent on controlling behaviour which at worst
is responsible for only 1 in 7 road fatalities than is spent on
controlling the behaviour which causes the other 6 in 7 deaths ? The
hysteria over drink driving is I suggest driven to a degree by
political
correctness.

The other point which needs addressing is people with alcohol in their
blood the day after drinking. As anyone knows there is a world of
difference between being drunk and being hung over. The former
undoubtedly affects judgement and reactions: the latter is no more
disabling than, for example, driving with a cold or when tired. .
Prosecuting someone for being over the limit when the alcohol is not
significantly disabling a driver is creating a crime for no purpose.

A survey by Autotrader found that 1 in 3 drivers had drunk and driven
at some time and a fifth said that they intended to drink drive this
Christmas (Evening Standard 14 12 2005) . Clearly, there is a great
deal of drink driving, most of which will take place in demanding
driving conditions, ie, after sundown. It follows from that that most
drink drivers drive without serious mishap even in difficult driving
conditions. .

None of this is to suggest that drink driving should not be punished
where it has been clearly reckless and either contributed to an
accident
or put other people in danger of an accident. What should happen is to
judge each case on its merits, which is what used to happen before the
breathalyser.

Robert Henderson
- e-mail: philip@anywhere.demon.co.uk

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The bigger issue is cars

19.12.2005 11:09

Of course without cars there would be no drink driving, the fault is in with allowing people to drive vehicles which are killing in so many ways. Low cost (or free) public transport for all is the future with car ownership banned will give Britain and Europe the best start for the new Millenium and give us a clean safe country.

Of course this doesn't apply to my Dad when he's picking me up from Uni or to my Mum when she needs to go to Waitrose

Stu Dant

500 deaths

19.12.2005 11:36

So you don't consider 500 deaths a year by drink drivers something to campaign about? While we are on this issue, there should be more coverage on road deaths. Cars are the real terrorists we are under attack from.

Om

Rich

Fuck you Clarkson BASTARD. Leave the car at home.

19.12.2005 13:11

There was an accident on my suburban street at 3a.m. last week. There was only one person involved - one driver. Nobody was injured but three cars were written-off. I got a blanket to keep the driver warm while waiting for the ambulance. He was lied in the road fast asleep and snoring because he was so pissed.

Lots of accidents happened when I lived in a different city. There used to be a pissed bastard's accident every few weeks in the area that I lived. There was one I remember where a car had collided with another and had turned on it's roof. All this in small suburban streets which the BASTARD drunk-drivers use as rat-runs.

I remember passing a local pub some months ago. It was well past closing time and this DRUNKEN DRIVER BASTARD cam out. He could harly stand. I tried to disuade him from driving but he was just too drunk to understand. I thought of stealing his keys. I should have.

I have not checked nor accept this BASTARD DRUNKEN DRIVER's figures. It is noted that he discusses deaths. What about the children and cyclists and other vulnerable road users that are injured but not killed? BASTARD DRUNKEN DRIVERS destroy peoples lives.

DRUNKEN DRIVING is real anti-social behaviour. It doesn't count as Fascist New Labour anti-social behaviour, of course, because it doesn't include the target group of hooded or capped poor (and black?) young people.

The answer is so simple. Leave the car at home. Get a cab. It's that simple. That's all it takes.

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