OUR OPINION: It’s the driving, not the drunk
October 10, 2012 at 4:30 pm in Grand Forks Herald
Wisconsin’s “Road Crew” safe-ride program is a frank recognition that where drunk driving is concerned, there’s only so much the State Patrol can do. Continue Reading
I disagree. It is the drunk. The driving wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the drunk.
After reading this article I agree with the nurse and the professor. When it comes to drinking and driving the state of North Dakota is an enabler.
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Well said Devil
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Absolutely 100% correct devilschild it’s the drunk. Let’s not forget other actions of drunks, physical assaults, rape, vandalism and who are we to blame for these pathetic actions?
It’s the driving not the drunks….!uhitp…puke!
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There is no doubt these programs are successful. Most major college campuses have them. They are a good investment.
That said, your assertion that it is the driving not the drunk is 100% false. You should be ashamed. Defense lawyers would not even be so bold as to use this defense. It is quite possibly the most ridiculous attempt at removing responsibility from where it belongs I have ever seen. Leafy Spurge for you all the way.
If it is not the drunk driver’s fault, do we not arrest them when the ride is not available or takes too long for their liking?
Alcohol & drug abuse are decisions. Where a conscious decision is made – no matter how poor of one – there can be no claims of victim hood ..
You do not solve the drunk driving problem by giving the drunk a ride home (do we still give him/her a ride if they don’t have the fare?); you hold people responsible for their decisions.
You will not cure addiction. It has been part of human life since long before the Old Testament was written. You cannot fix human frailty, but you can contain it
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Not everyone who takes a cab, bus, or limo home from the bar is an enabled alcoholic. People have reunions with family, high school buds, old friends all the time and end up having a few too many. It happens to me 2-3 times a year.
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I agree Phil. You are smart. The thrust of the article is that it is not the disease that is the problem, but the behavior that results from it. While this belief is warm & fuzzy, it in no way addresses the problem.
It is analogous to giving a patient breathing medications, but not telling them to quit smoking
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“For “all night bar hopping plus a safe ride home,” the cost is $20. For a one-way safe ride home from a bar, the cost is only $5. ”
I wonder what kind of liability they have. Is there a waiver/document to sign? I’m sure there are lawyers aplenty just WAITING for something to bad to go down in situations like this. Good grief, we want to hang the bartender out to dry when he/she fails to stop serving someone that is too stupid to know when enough is enough.
How are we going to treat the driver/business that advertises themselves AS THE TICKET to “all night barhopping”?
Watch for the TV ads coming soon:
“If you’ve been injured, (or anything else), during one of XYZ Company’s chauffeured barhopping excursions….you may be entitled to compensation. contact our legal offices…”
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Good point. The university cab programs I am familiar with will only take you home. Do not pass go, do not collect $200
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It is not the “drunks”. Many people in this world can drink alcohal in excess and not get into trouble. It is the stupid people that make the decisions to assault, vandalise, and drive. The act of being intoxicated makes it a convinent excuse. So it is not the drunk but the stupid person.
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In my opinion your opinion is based on personal experience.
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Where’s the personal responsibility?
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On one hand it sort of seems that there’s a bit of the old probabition mind set in some of these posts. That by taking away the temptation we handle the problem. On the other I can understand the fact that we’re all responsible for our own actions.
I think that by recognizing that people will be drinking in places other than their own homes is a reality we have to face. Having some other options that will help keep drun drivers from driving seems like a logical approach to what can become a very illogical situation very fast. So why not? It’s not adding to the problem is it?
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Dc, if I want to drink half a case of beers peacefully and watch my nascar I have the right to do so. I do not need to be criminalized just for being drunk. Drunk is not a crime as long as you take care of yourself and leave others alone. A crime occurs when a stupid person does something stupid. It is only after they choose to do something stupid that they use being drunk as an excuse. And in my opinion it is not an excuse for a stupid decision.
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You don’t have to be a “Stupid Person” to do stupid things once drunk. I’ve tested that theory several times in my drinking days. I ended up in the crowbar Hotel a few times for such things as deciding to be a sidewalk lawyer when someone I knew was getting busted and I was absolutely not involved with the original charge…..And of course having to defend the honor of what was usually women who pretty much gave up on honor a while back….But when you’re drunk it’s easy to forgot about those little things….But you sure do remember once you’re hung over in a cell and your body is banged up a bit…….Good old stupid juice……..Mixed with some dummy dust, and you might even think Palin makes sense….
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Little ron if you are drinking half a case of beer while watching NASCAR you might be a redneck. Switch to vodka martinis. Step up a class.
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And stay home!
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Schmidts 30 packs 14.99! That’s how we does it up here! You better redneckognize!
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My favorite cousin drinks Schmidt beer and has for many years. Just be yourself ron….that’s good enough for me.
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Complex problems like these can have simple solutions in a high-tech world. All automobiles equipped with existing sensory equipment can prevents anyone in the drivers seat, with alcohol in their bloodstream, from operating the vehicle. I ca drink all I want, only I will be required to pay the cost for my ride home. When mass produced, in all vehicles, this equipment is quite affordable.
Prohibition was a huge failure. Alcohol usage will never go away in our culture. So pony up for the equipment so we will not have our lives, on the highways, in the hands of drunken strangers. Hey, that would only work if “government”, again, encroaches upon our liberty. Rather than address the greater good, let’s allow those thousands of victims in our country to sacrifice their lives and limbs for our “freedom and liberty” to drink and drive. Frankly, I do not value my freedom to drive drunk. I do value my family’s freedom to drive on public highways without being victimized by a drunk driver. With the technology mentioned above, it is possible to almost completely prevent driving drunk while protecting my right to get drunk anytime I want.
I can hear all the shouting about government expansion, taxation, invasion of privacy, government regulation, etc., etc. Never any mention of that horrible liberal concept of the “greater good”. No compromises? It seems I must rather see my children killed and maimed by drunk drivers. There are some freedoms and liberties I can afford to live without. Can you? And so it goes…..
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As for the “stupid” mentioned above. The biochemistry of the brain results in brain function decreasing as alcohol level increases. It is impossible to consistently make smart, responsible decisions as I shut down my brain function. It is rather difficult to make c correct decisions without a brain. And so it goes…..
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Explain to me why some people binge drink on a regular basis, never are arrested, and make it home safely. While other people binge drink, get in trouble with the law and are arrested on a consistant basis. The later make stupid decisions while the first group is impared but somehow chooses to make the correct decisions
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