Car Passenger charged with DUI...

[BlancoNino]

Regardless, it's because we give MADD so much power that we have bogus laws like this. MADD won't quit until there is prohibition and that anyone caught with alcohol is sentenced to execution. They are fascists.

 

[BlancoNino]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: BlancoNino
Yup. Pretty soon MADD will conquer the world and bring back prohibition!

I think they would like it to stay actually, they are one of the most powerful lobbies around. The way you can now attach unrelated issues to another issue and pass them as law makes MADD/SADD particularly interesting to those with items that would not pass on their own.

It's the ultimate gimmick, who is going to argue with a mother that just buried her child due to a drunken driver hitting them.

Statistically drunk driving is not causing a lot of problems when you consider in many metro areas friday night through sunday morning a very high percentage of people on the road after 10pm'ish are legally drunk.

Exactly. I sympathize with these mothers...it must be traumatizing, but you have to realize that these mothers are NOT going to be clear thinking and level-headed. They are angry individuals, but our politicians would rather listen to them than some laid-back social drinker who understands what ti's actually like to have a couple drinks and then drive.

 

[QED]

Originally posted by: BlancoNino

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: BlancoNino
Yup. Pretty soon MADD will conquer the world and bring back prohibition!

I think they would like it to stay actually, they are one of the most powerful lobbies around. The way you can now attach unrelated issues to another issue and pass them as law makes MADD/SADD particularly interesting to those with items that would not pass on their own.

It's the ultimate gimmick, who is going to argue with a mother that just buried her child due to a drunken driver hitting them.

Statistically drunk driving is not causing a lot of problems when you consider in many metro areas friday night through sunday morning a very high percentage of people on the road after 10pm'ish are legally drunk.

Exactly. I sympathize with these mothers...it must be traumatizing, but you have to realize that these mothers are NOT going to be clear thinking and level-headed. They are angry individuals, but our politicians would rather listen to them than some laid-back social drinker who understands what ti's actually like to have a couple drinks and then drive.

There were nearly 18,000 drunk driving fatalaties in the United States for the year 2004 (the last year I could find any record).

To call it trivial or shrug it off as no big deal is the epitome of ignorance.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: QED

There were nearly 18,000 drunk driving fatalaties in the United States for the year 2004 (the last year I could find any record).

To call it trivial or shrug it off as no big deal is the epitome of ignorance.

You are also twisting the stats.

We can use 2004 as an example, however; you probably already know that is a landmark year for this.

Percentages: 39% of fatal crashes had alcohol involvement and ONLY 7% of all accidents.

Total Traffic Fatalities: 38,253 with 26,756 being the driver

DWI related Fatalities (some of these alcohol may not have been the cause though all are 0.08bal or higher): 14,409 with 8,256 being the driver. 6,052 being just the driver's vehicle. Only 2,205 of these alcohol-related accidents involved another vehicle and only 1,570 non-occupants died (other vehicle or pedestrians).

I just look at the innocent people, about 1,600...those getting into a car with someone drinking probably knew better 90% of the time. A lot more people are dying of other things out there that aren't as profitable though.

Number of Arrests: 42,636

We have mass-road blocks here almost monthly where everyone is stopped and hurdled into some parking lot for spot checks...

Keep in mind as well if you are suspected to be under the influence and even pass roadside (which means nothing, many sober people fail them) and the breath test...you can still be held for 8 hours (really 12 hours+ most of the time) for observation. You still have to pay DWI rates for the towing (usually a huge 'hook up fee' of $250-300 plus a multiple of the normal mileage rate. You are not reimbursed for this.