So sad - Page 2

AboveTheSalt · 07-10-2008, 17:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garp

Such things exist, not in key form but still one that you have to blow into before your key will work. http://www.alcohol-breathalyzers.com/ALS21_article.asp

I would have thought that it should be possible to implement software that using the EMS & ABS could monitor activity through the brake, accelerator and steering; record a typical pattern for each journey; turn that into an average and compare it with the current driving pattern? This might also help to detect people falling asleep at the wheel.

Quite what such a system would do if it detected abnormal behaviour I'm not sure, perhaps sound the horn, flash the hazard warning lights and sound a loud buzzer inside the car

Frankly, it is long past time that speed-limiters were fitted in all new cars; the guy was reported to be doing something like 90 mph

-J- · 07-10-2008, 17:19

poor kids

did anyone catch that motorway police program on BBC1 yesterday?

at the end they were called to a pile up where a 44 ton truck had ploughed into stationary cars on the motorway , the first car was crushed like a tin can and thrown down and embankment, some how a 15 yr old boy survived and got out with only cuts and as he was being helped by someone then narrator or police officer said the boy was unaware that his mother and aunt who were also in the car had been killed instantly

Garp · 07-10-2008, 17:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by iCraig

Easy to circumvent though, just get a sober mate to blow into it for you for example?

Sure, but the advantage there is that drink driving would require two people to make such a judgement call. One who is sober (and should know better) and one who is drunk (and shouldn't have got so, knowing there was a chance they'd need to drive)

divine · 07-10-2008, 17:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by AboveTheSalt

Frankly, it is long past time that speed-limiters were fitted in all new cars; the guy was reported to be doing something like 90 mph

A whole 90mph? I'm surprised there wasn't a veritable ocean of dead children piling up for miles behind him

Will · 07-10-2008, 17:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by divine

A whole 90mph? I'm surprised there wasn't a veritable ocean of dead children piling up for miles behind him

I have to say I agree. The speed limits in this country are ridiculous. It's all relative to the situation and needs to be analysed at the time of the incident. I think the main contributing factor is that the driver was a tool, he was over the limit and driving beyond his capability owing to his state of mind. No doubt the speed added to the devastation in this case, but speed on it's own is not the main contributing factor in this instance. It's the driver's decision and he made that call to drive.

lostkat · 07-10-2008, 17:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jello

There's not much hope for the footballer recovering from it either. This will haunt him. So much so that it could be considered punishment in itself.

He made a mistake, he admitted it. We all make mistakes.

He was found to be twice the limit for alcohol consumption. Sorry, no sympathy for him whatsoever. There is absolutely zero excuse in my eyes for drink driving. No, I've never ever done it and no I never ever will, not even the morning after. I don't see how "everyone makes mistakes" can be given as an excuse when it comes to drink driving.

Will · 07-10-2008, 17:49

Oh I killed someone today. Oops. I just accidently pushed him down some stairs.... ah well, **** happens! I made a mistake!

Seriously, you've got to take responsibility for your actions, there was no mistake here. Drink driving is almost in my eyes murder - yes he'll feel awful, but I have no sympathy for him at all.

People don't realise that driving a car is a huge responsibility - you're driving over a tonnes worth of metal carrying a lot of momentum and a tremendous amount of energy - it's a weapon, it's lethal. No, it's entirely the drivers fault, and he made the conscious decision to drive. Yes maybe he made a bad choice, and he can regret it, but I have no sympathy for him at all.

I agree with you Kate 100% - I loathe drink drivers.

divine · 07-10-2008, 17:56

It's an incredibly stupid thing to do but I wouldn't place it tantamount to murder. There are a lot of people who do do it and have done for a long time and not killed anyone. It's not like drink driving is guaranteeing that you'll crash. From personal 'experience' i'd guess that the number of 'drink drivings' that end up in accidents is actually pretty low. It's not really something you can prove though without having some kind of record of every time someone has driven drunk and not had any kind of incident.

Murder is something done with a malicious intent, a desire to end someone's life on purpose, crashing into someone whilst being drunk, whilst still absolutely horrific, is not the same.

Will · 07-10-2008, 18:10

Not quite true really..

On average over 13,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year in drink drive collisions. Nearly one in six of all deaths on the road involve drivers who are over the legal alcohol limit. 1 in 6 is very very high for the amount of cars we have on the road. It's not a nominal amount at all.

Alcohol has a HUGE effect on your driving ability no matter how you think you "feel".

divine · 07-10-2008, 18:14

You're looking at the number of accidents that are attributed to drinking out of the number of total accidents, which is different to what I said.

I never disputed the effect it has on driving ability but I don't think DD can ever be tantamount to murder, at the most, manslaughter.

edit - having found what I guess is the same site as you did, as you seem to have almost copied the numbers verbatim, it also mentions that around 100,000 positive breath tests are done every year.

So if we take the 14,000 figure including minor injuries and say make that probably about 5,000 to 8,000 actual incidents to account for multiple occupancy cars etc, we can see that even then, around 8% of drink drivers end up in an accident. Add in to that all of the people who do it and don't get caught and breathalysed and added to those numbers and it would be even lower. So like I said, drink driving doesn't come close to virtually ensuring you're going to kill someone, so it is far from being tantamount to murder.

I don't condone it in anyway, but murder it is not, and so nor should it be treated as such.

07-10-2008, 17:49	#17
Will BBx woz 'ere :P Join Date: Jan 1970 Posts: 2,147,487,208	Oh I killed someone today. Oops. I just accidently pushed him down some stairs.... ah well, ** happens! I made a mistake! Seriously, you've got to take responsibility for your actions, there was no mistake here. Drink driving is almost in my eyes murder - yes he'll feel awful, but I have no sympathy for him at all. People don't realise that driving a car is a huge responsibility - you're driving over a tonnes worth of metal carrying a lot of momentum and a tremendous amount of energy - it's a weapon, it's lethal. No, it's entirely the drivers fault, and he made the conscious decision to drive. Yes maybe he made a bad choice, and he can regret it, but I have no sympathy for him at all. I agree with you Kate 100% - I loathe drink drivers. __________________ No No!**

07-10-2008, 17:56	#18
divine Moonshine Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Southampton Posts: 3,201	It's an incredibly stupid thing to do but I wouldn't place it tantamount to murder. There are a lot of people who do do it and have done for a long time and not killed anyone. It's not like drink driving is guaranteeing that you'll crash. From personal 'experience' i'd guess that the number of 'drink drivings' that end up in accidents is actually pretty low. It's not really something you can prove though without having some kind of record of every time someone has driven drunk and not had any kind of incident. Murder is something done with a malicious intent, a desire to end someone's life on purpose, crashing into someone whilst being drunk, whilst still absolutely horrific, is not the same. __________________

07-10-2008, 18:10	#19
Will BBx woz 'ere :P Join Date: Jan 1970 Posts: 2,147,487,208	Not quite true really.. On average over 13,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year in drink drive collisions. Nearly one in six of all deaths on the road involve drivers who are over the legal alcohol limit. 1 in 6 is very very high for the amount of cars we have on the road. It's not a nominal amount at all. Alcohol has a HUGE effect on your driving ability no matter how you think you "feel". __________________ *No No!*

07-10-2008, 18:14	#20
divine Moonshine Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Southampton Posts: 3,201	You're looking at the number of accidents that are attributed to drinking out of the number of total accidents, which is different to what I said. I never disputed the effect it has on driving ability but I don't think DD can ever be tantamount to murder, at the most, manslaughter. edit - having found what I guess is the same site as you did, as you seem to have almost copied the numbers verbatim, it also mentions that around 100,000 positive breath tests are done every year. So if we take the 14,000 figure including minor injuries and say make that probably about 5,000 to 8,000 actual incidents to account for multiple occupancy cars etc, we can see that even then, around 8% of drink drivers end up in an accident. Add in to that all of the people who do it and don't get caught and breathalysed and added to those numbers and it would be even lower. So like I said, drink driving doesn't come close to virtually ensuring you're going to kill someone, so it is far from being tantamount to murder. I don't condone it in anyway, but murder it is not, and so nor should it be treated as such. __________________ Last edited by divine; 07-10-2008 at 18:22.

07-10-2008, 17:19	#12
-J- Columbian Coffee Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: opposite yours, spying on you Posts: 62	poor kids did anyone catch that motorway police program on BBC1 yesterday? at the end they were called to a pile up where a 44 ton truck had ploughed into stationary cars on the motorway , the first car was crushed like a tin can and thrown down and embankment, some how a 15 yr old boy survived and got out with only cuts and as he was being helped by someone then narrator or police officer said the boy was unaware that his mother and aunt who were also in the car had been killed instantly