On November 03 2009 01:48 lMPERVlOUS wrote:Show nested quote +On November 02 2009 14:56 Wangsta wrote:On November 02 2009 14:28 lMPERVlOUS wrote:On November 02 2009 12:31 eMbrace wrote:On November 02 2009 12:09 lMPERVlOUS wrote:On November 02 2009 11:21 Wangsta wrote:
AFAIK, the argument is that there is a difference between a guy who gets a little tipsy and drives, versus the guy who gets smashed and drives
If you look a things from a practical point of view, there's a huge difference, because the guy who is more drunk is much more likely to have an accident
But morally, both of those people are fucked up. If you drive drunk, you are basically saying "I don't care if I am increasing my likelihood of killing someone, because it's still unlikely to happen." If you think like that, you simply aren't being a responsible person. What if I had a lower chance of killing someone while driving after 2 beers than my ex gf while sober? Would it really be morally wrong for me to drive with 2 beers in me, or would it be morally wrong for me to let my ex drive at any given time? Food for thought. I think it's morally wrong to willingly reduce your skill at driving and then get into a vehicle. Comparing yourself to a terrible sober driver is irrelevant. That is a problem related to terrible driving schools and license requirements -- not your personal decisions. You reduce your skill at driving when you get behind the wheel while you are tired. Or on ANY DRUG (legal or not). If you are driving without sunglasses when it is bright out, or there is a lot of glare. If you are distracted by anything (passengers, music, cellphone, etc). Heck, your skill at driving is reduced if you don't have 2 hands on the wheel at all times. Why is a little bit of alcohol different? The only thing I could think of is that it is a prejudice against alcohol. Which I can completely understand, however, it doesn't work well in a logical debate..... And I'm not going to comment on the licensing requirements, other than to say that every country has dumb drivers. But the fact is, they are deemed to be safe enough drivers to get a license. And if I was still a safer driver than them, with a few beers in me, why should I be in trouble, if that is an acceptable skill level for a driver? I agree, driving and drinking do not mix. If you are going to do it, you need to be smart about it. As in, you need to drink little, and early, and let yourself burn it off by the time you need to drive. But I also think you shouldn't be allowed to drive tired, nor have any distractions (I used to take my mom's cellphone away from her while she was driving and I was a passenger, and I still always ask her if she's driving while on the phone with me. She's learned to lie, so as soon as I hear some traffic or something, I hang up and wait for her to call me back 10 minutes later). But, from a logical point of view, drinking and driving = wrong holds no water at all. Not to say that it is a smart choice, but saying that it is wrong, without considering other factors is just dumb. That's like saying "bubblegum killed someone, so therefore it should be banned"..... Sure, it happens, and the more bubblegum you eat, the bigger the chance that it will kill you. But that's just a dumb conclusion, and without considering all of the facts, it's misleading. The reason why alcohol needs to be treated differently than the other things you mentioned, is because alcohol can affect your judgment. It's very easy to say "I'm not drunk," when in truth you might be more tipsy than you realize. I've also known quite a few people who had really bad experiences because they felt "okay" and got in their car, but then realized that they were not okay once they were on the road and had no choice but to keep driving. The problem with saying "smart drunk driving is fine" is that you'll have the idea in your head that drunk driving is okay under some circumstances. That's fine 99% of the time, but it's very possible that you could get smashed one day and that small thought in the back of your head will lead you to drive when you are NOT okay. If you just tell yourself that drunk driving is always bad, then you'll never have to take that risk. It also prevents you from making potentially stupid decisions, such as saying "I won't drink too much at the party tonight, I'm only going to get a little buzzed, so it's okay to go without a DD" Okay, and, being in an emotional state of mind (angry, sad, etc), and preoccupied with these thoughts reduces the driving skill of the driver, and also affects judgment. Does that mean that everyone who is a little pissed off, or a little sad, should be fined if they are pulled over by the cops? It follows the exact same line of thought as driving drunk (reduces driving skill and affects judgment). Next time you're behind the wheel, think about how you feel (before you actually start driving). Is there anything preoccupying your mind (what you have to do at work when you get there, the fight you just had with parents/significant other, that date you're headed out too, etc. Any thoughts like that reduce your driving skill, and, if those thoughts come along with emotions, it can cloud your judgment, in similar ways as alcohol. There have been studies on this, and, emotional responses can be stronger than the effects of a couple of drinks..... Clearly, by your logic, anyone emotionally distressed should never be behind the wheel. Yet, where are the laws against it?
There ARE laws. If you drive recklessly, you can always be caught and punished regardless of your condition. Also, there's a reason why cellphones and music players with earphones are banned while driving now. People are trying to make progress against these kinds of driving distractions.
Drunk driving is known to cause involuntarily poor driving, and there is a very easy and relatively accurate way to test somebody's sobriety. Emotional issues while driving should also be punishable, but there's no way to enforce it (other than punishing people who drive visibly recklessly, which we already do). You can't say that drunk driving is okay just because another form of reckless driving is not illegal.
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One of my brothers’ best friends was hit by a drunk-driving 16 year old the other month. He was potentially paralyzed for life. Thank god he's ok.
One of my co-workers was killed here the other week by a drunk driver smashing in to the side of him. He lives behind a 2 year old son and a wife. That son is going to grow up asking where his father is. That woman now becomes a single mother; and loses the love of her life, at just 33.
One of the members of my work group at university just lost his Mum and Brother, and nearly his Dad, because of a drink related accident. He’s 19. He’s probably going to drop out of university now as he can’t afford it. And I can’t say a god-damn thing to him, because I can’t even begin to understand how he’s feeling.
Put yourself in that situation. Drinking is worse than pretty much other distraction such as music or sun glasses, because it really affects your judgment and reaction times. Also to the best of my knowledge, many countries are taking steps towards removing these distractions.
Your reaction times and judgment are huge, even with distractions you’re still driving under control. You’d still be able to slam the breaks on if needed. You’d still be able to think. Sure there is a difference between driving tipsy and smashed out of your face. And as such I believe should have different penalties. However I personally feel that driving tipsy, even if caught should really have a harsher penalty, so that you'll really think twice before doing it again.
I have nothing but serious loathing for people who think they can get away with drink driving, or even try and justify it, or especially those fucking idiots who think it’s cool and actually show off about it. Alcohol seriously slows your nerve impulses and thus your reactions and everything essential to driving is impaired, significantly. FACT.
You are deemed responsible enough to drive around a potentially life-threatening vehicle. So act responsibly.
I wish drink-drivers had much harsher penalties, even the ones who haven't caused any accidents. You were lucky today. What if a child ran out in to the road and you couldn't react fast enough.
What if you hit an innocent person? You take away a parent or/and a child of someone else. Friends and family left devastated, because of what? Your pathetic childish act. Good luck trying to convince the court with "I was drunk man!" You fucking murderer.
The thing I always say to drink-drivers is. How would you feel, if a drink driver hit your own mother as she was walking down the road doing nothing to cause the accident, perhaps killed her. And then drives off never being caught. Yeah, let that resonate in you.
Oh and biomedical. You are literally the stupidest person I have ever seen on this entire forum. I have lurked here for about 8 years, and never in my entire time, have I seen someone post as much garbage as you, apart from the people who were obviously trolling. I really suggest you drop your elitist attitude and actually go and learn something. Perhaps listen to other people in this thread.
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EPT
