Are DUI Laws Excessive in your state ... ?

[EddieWalker]

Moss reminds me of something I've seen with guys who can drink allot of beer. They go for years drinking a 12 pack without any noticeable sign. To get drunk, they drink a case of beer or more. I've done it myself and was one of those guys who would brag about how many beers I could drink. One time I was drunk for 27 hours straight!!!

Anyway, those guys that I knew, and later on when I was a Union Steward, I had to deal with the same thing. These guys would get to a point of drinking that their livers were shot. One beer and they were drunk. They refused to acknowledge it because it was a source of pride for them on how many they could "handle" and still be fine.

There were several that were pulled over for drunk driving after just a few beers. How many depends on how much you trust them and their version of the story. Of course, it was never their fault that they got pulled over, but instead, it was the cops fault. Go figure that one out. LOL

My wife's ex is that way now. He's still drinking, has had some problem with the law lately because of it, but refuses to acknowledge that it's the beer and that he can no longer drink as much as he used to. It's very sad to see happen, especially now that it's so bad that his parents, who defended him no matter what, but are now unable to ignore having to bail him out of jail twice in the last two months.

He can't handle a single beer anymore, but he doesn't realize this, or admit it to himself.

Eddie

 

[czechsonofagun]

In Virginia, if you apply for CCW, the form has a question about DUI or maybe even DUI disqualifies you.

 

[LBrown59]

1*The vehicle has nothing to do with it but, the license does.

1*How does the type of license held impact the effect that alcohol has on a person?

 

[Matt_Jr]

I think in Virginia(not sure if true or not) DWI doesn't exist anymore. Just DUI. Although I don't even notice anything after just a few beers or a couple shots of anything I'm too scared of the laws to drink even a drop if I'm gonna be behind the wheel. I also carry a firearm at all times, so that ruins the drinking in public for me too. I reserve drinking to an at home activity and enjoy a drink everynight about an hour before bed. I don't need it, but I think one drink a day is good for the cardiovascular system and if I drink before bed.. well.. how much trouble will that get me in?

 

[tallyho8]

In the great state of Louisiana where it was legal for even an 18 year old to drink and drive until a few years ago when the feds threatened to withhold federal highway funds from our state unless we changed our laws, there are many fatalities from drinking and driving.

I myself, suffered a fractured vertebrae from getting hit head-on by a drunk driver. I believe that anyone driving under the influence (drugs or alcohol) should get the most severe of all driving penalties.

That said, I do not believe that one beer at dinner could impair a normal person's ability to drive properly. If you have a condition where one beer will affect your ability to safely negotiate the highways, then you should never drink one and drive or face the consequences.

It is ridiculous to have different percentages of blood alcohol to meet DWI standards dependent upon the type of license that you have. If you are driving under the influence, which means that you do not have the ability to drive safely, it doesn't matter if you are driving a car or a big rig. Either one can easily kill or maim. But, in the event that you are caught driving DWI, and you have a cdl, I believe the penalties should be tougher.



I confess to making the mistake several times of driving after a few drinks and thinking that I am sober enough to drive safely and pray that I never do that again risking the lives of myself and others regardless of whether or not I get stopped for DWI.

 

[Tig]

.08 BAC is our limit. Go over or be deemed impaired by alcohol or drug and it's a criminal offense. Canadian law allows for the highest possible maximum prison sentence of five years on a first offense.
Cause bodily harm and the max is 10 years.
Cause death and the max is 14 years.

You can be convicted on the testimony of witnesses (ie no police were present.) This happened to a person I know who was drunk on a riding mower, on private property (not his property).

If our kids go drinking and need a ride, they call us and we pick them up. If we need a ride, we call them. When we have our summer bash we usually end up with 20 or 30 people sleeping over in tents, or where ever.....
All that being said, I know people who drive impaired on a daily basis. A couple of them got caught last month. A couple more are way overdue to get caught.

Discussion on Canadian DUI laws as compared to the rest of the world.

 

[2manyrocks]

Cat Driver--the DUI driver died in the crash I posted about.

Since sitting in the hospital waiting room in 1994 with the Mother and Father of the guy who was injured by the DUI, I don't drink beer or any other alcoholic beverage at all anywhere or anytime.

 

[Nissan197]

Lots of replies to this thread. Kansas got a little harsher a couple of years ago. We have a limit of .08 if you are of legal drinking age. If you are driving a commercial vehicle it is .04. If you are under 21 anything .02 or over is DUI. The higher you blow the worse it will be for you. If you blow over .15 your dl is suspended for at least one year, even if it is your first offense. You refuse and it is your first it is a year suspension. Time goes up if you are convicted of more than one.

Since I have made rank I haven't handled a DUI for probably four years, but they are very time consuming. It will take our officers a minimum of two hours from the start of a traffic stop to just booking a subject into jail. That does not even include all the narratives that have to be written. The amount of paperwork involved is ridiculous. The sad thing is with all the paperwork sometimes the case will get thrown out on a technicality if an officer forgets to check a certain box on a form. It is crazy and yes, traffic attorney's make a good living from them. I told one of them that he should be taking me out for a steak dinner every week for the amount of business he gets from me. He was not amused.

Overall I think the punishments are correct. Unfortunately with all the overcrowding of jails and prisons it is unlikely that someone convicted of DUI will serve much time. DUI is a big deal and very dangerous. I have worked numerous fatalities involving alcohol and they are not an enjoyable experience. One stop I had the driver had been convicted a total of 10 times for DUI and his dl was revoked for life. He was still driving and he went to jail again that night for DUI. Unfortunately there are some who will never learn.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

ABCDEFGHIJ
1*I don't feel they go far enough.
2*With all the Minutes in a day and all the places you can be in there is absolutely no excuse to be drinking at the time you are driving or located in a vehicle.
There is no reason to ever combine the time you drink and being in a vehicle together .
If you want to drink stay out of the vehicle .
If you want in the vehicle stay away from the bottle.
3*As well it should. I don't care what he's driving I don't want him running into me.
4*Yeah they need to clamp down harder not relax them.
5*I disagree: There is no need to consume those 2 beers at that time under those circumstances.
I've seen drunk drivers have terrible impacts on to close families.
One of them my wife's sister.
It's sickening the senless suffering those 2 drunks wrecked on those families.
6*This would be a Sunday picnic compared to what the 2 drunks put the 2 families through.
Where was the leniency for these families.?
[/QUOT


This fine man (lee Brown) has told it the way it should be.

I should have just stayed out of this because he has done a fine job.

BUT I MUST TELL MY STORY AND JUST ADD A LITTLE MORE

I am 43 years old i grew up in West Virginia, after high school i moved to Kentucky in 1985 and started working in the coal mines.
I alway's wanted to become a truck driver but was stuck underground

Well in 1993 the mines i was working at was going to close down,
but we was offered to go back to school and they pay for it.
so i decided to go to truck driving school, i could already drive a truck
but i had to do alot of driving test, and the big company's would hire
you right out of class. The class took me eight weeks ,the cost $5000
dollars, at the mines pay.
So while in class i was already hired by T.M.C. flat bed division out in
Des Moines Iowa. so TMC sent me a bus ticket and i left my wife and
two kids in order to support my family. later on i was offered a local
job for another company 15 hrs. aday home every night, except when
a shuttle run came up so i came home.
I was loving my job driving a tractor trailer and home every night except one or two nights. UNTIL I WAS on a two lane road and
i saw a pick up truck coming RIGHT AT ME so i pushed the clutch and
brake my left wrist braced on the steering wheel and he hit me,

When he hit me his truck struck my drivers side front wheel and it
spun the steering wheel and shattered my left wrist, 4/8/98/.
i have had three surgery's, i need one more, they started to take my
arm off, so they sent me to louisville Ky. and they took bone out of my leg to fuse a metal plate with eight screws in my wrist. it does not bend and nerve damage in my leg. I have needed surgery again

 

[JohnDeere4300]

H

ABCDEFGHIJ
1*I don't feel they go far enough.
2*With all the Minutes in a day and all the places you can be in there is absolutely no excuse to be drinking at the time you are driving or located in a vehicle.
There is no reason to ever combine the time you drink and being in a vehicle together .
If you want to drink stay out of the vehicle .
If you want in the vehicle stay away from the bottle.
3*As well it should. I don't care what he's driving I don't want him running into me.
4*Yeah they need to clamp down harder not relax them.
5*I disagree: There is no need to consume those 2 beers at that time under those circumstances.
I've seen drunk drivers have terrible impacts on to close families.
One of them my wife's sister.
It's sickening the senless suffering those 2 drunks wrecked on those families.
6*This would be a Sunday picnic compared to what the 2 drunks put the 2 families through.
Where was the leniency for these families.?
[/QUOT


This fine man (lee Brown) has told it the way it should be.

I should have just stayed out of this because he has done a fine job.

BUT I MUST TELL MY STORY AND JUST ADD A LITTLE MORE

I am 43 years old i grew up in West Virginia, after high school i moved to Kentucky in 1985 and started working in the coal mines.
I alway's wanted to become a truck driver but was stuck underground

Well in 1993 the mines i was working at was going to close down,
but we was offered to go back to school and they pay for it.
so i decided to go to truck driving school, i could already drive a truck
but i had to do alot of driving test, and the big company's would hire
you right out of class. The class took me eight weeks ,the cost $5000
dollars, at the mines pay.
So while in class i was already hired by T.M.C. flat bed division out in
Des Moines Iowa. so TMC sent me a bus ticket and i left my wife and
two kids in order to support my family. later on i was offered a local
job for another company 15 hrs. aday home every night, except when
a shuttle run came up so i came home.
I was loving my job driving a tractor trailer and home every night except one or two nights. UNTIL I WAS on a two lane road and
i saw a pick up truck coming RIGHT AT ME so i pushed the clutch and
brake my left wrist braced on the steering wheel and he hit me,

When he hit me his truck struck my drivers side front wheel and it
spun the steering wheel and shattered my left wrist, 4/8/98/.
i have had three surgery's, i need one more, they started to take my
arm off, so they sent me to louisville Ky. and they took bone out of my leg to fuse a metal plate with eight screws in my wrist. it does not bend and nerve damage in my leg. I have needed surgery again

(i hit the wrong button while typing sorry)
needed surgery for two years but afraid to go back living in pain,

NOW WHAT I THINK THEY SHOULD DO TO A DRUNK DRIVER.

(1) first time caught DUI. with no one even hurt (20 years)

(2) first time caught DUI. and someone hurt (LIFE IN PRISON)
without ever getting out.
(3) FIRST TIME CAUGHT DUI. AND SOMEONE KILLED,
DEATH PENALTY

If someone is going to drink, they should stay home where they belong

(AND I LOST my CDL because of my wrist and leg ) JUST BECAUSE
SOMEONE WAS DRIVING DRUNK,

you asked what i thought about it and there it is

i have seen so many family's destroyed because of a drunk driver.

(lost children, fathers,mothers,sisters,brothers and grandparents)