Drink Driving
Posted: Wed 12 December, 2007 Filed under: Cynicism, Driving, Festering Season, Thoughts, Travel 1 Comment »While I’m not usually a great proponent of the entire “User-generated content” thing, sometimes it can be interesting and useful. One example is this BBC piece about drink-driving, and this year’s advertising campaign to make people think again about drinking and driving. After the piece, there’s a whole set of stories of personal experiences of drink-driving, and being banned, and it makes for interesting reading.
Personally, I don’t drink at all if I’m driving. It doesn’t bother me, and I don’t see the point of the entire “Oh, I’ll be OK if I just have the one” point of view. I could probably get away with one (or even two) because of my size, but to be honest, why risk it?
Me too.
But then I lost one of my best ever friends (he was on a path, walking home) to a drunk driver (who drove off without stopping) at the age of 17. Just thinking of it now, almost 28 years ago to the day, brings tears to my eyes and makes me feel completely choked up.
I’ve been known to physically take car keys from people I know who were not in a fit state to drive home (after they refused not to when I challenged them). And I’ve also rung the police on three occasions when I’ve seen a driver I didn’t know getting into a car (clearly very) drunk. I’ve also dialled 999 from a car on one occasion when a car was clearly being driven by a very drunk person (over 100mph and weaving all over all 3 carriageways) down the M11 – and was delighted to see him pulled over by 2 police cars and spread over his bonnet American-police-film-stylee just 5 minutes later.
I think you have to have suffered at the hands of drunk drivers to really understand why it is so stupid, and to want to go to those lengths though.
I do think that a Crimestoppers type line for reporting drink drivers would make a huge difference to people’s willingness to commit the crime. Dead easy to get them – look up vehicle registration and wait at their door. 8+ times /10 you’ll catch them I reckon. Nearly as easy as speed cameras… and a lot more useful.