[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

I don't know if attitudes are different in the US or not, but over here, the majority of the population doesn't drink then drive.

Over here, I would say that the majority of people do not drink and drive the majority of the time. That means there is a minority of people who do drink and drive and have no problem with it and then there is a larger minority that will plan ahead on most occasions with taxis and designated drivers, but will slip up every once in a while and drink and drive if they feel "okay to drive". As I've said, almost everyone here knows its bad to drink and drive but there are rare occasions where people didn't plan ahead and the risk is taken. There are a few people who have no problem drinking and driving and do it on a regular occasion, I would assume these people make up the vast majority of accidents, but these people, as in Australia, make up the vast minority of people.


I guess my main point is that with respect to drunk drivers, as ironic as it sounds, there are two types of drunk drivers, those that do respect others and try to avoid drunk driving and those that do not give a shit and will do it on regular occasions. For the first group, these people will only drink and drive if they their options are extremely limited and will feel bad for it. These people will take advantage of other means if they are available. The second group, these are the people that will drink and drive no matter what and have no respect for anyone else because they either don't care or they think they are a "good drunk driver". These people are the reason why we need harsh drinking and driving laws.

So my idea on a good solution is to polarize these two groups. As realistically as possible, offer easy and cheap alternatives ways to travel to lower the drunk driving for those who do want to avoid it while keeping and maybe extending harsh penalties for those who choose not to take them.

At my university, there is a service where the student body will take turns driving a van around at night, giving free rides to whoever needs transportation. From my personal experiences, this is cheap, easy, and relatively quick. With this service, there is very little excuse to drink and drive. Obviously, this exact service is not realistic on a large city scale, but the idea could somewhat be used.

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Don't forget Pierce is in college. He's surrounded by people of a completely different mindset, because they do not yet know anyone who screwed up a year of their life with a DUI, or worse, gotten into a terrible accident or killed someone.

True, I was going to integrate that into this post. I do not know about the people that do get many DUIs and or have gotten an accident, but I do notice trends in the past two years. I noticed that out of the people that do drink and drive, there are those who hate doing it but will if they feel they have little alternative and those that feel comfortable doing it and do nothing to prevent themselves from getting in a bad situation. I am assuming that the first group will eventually learn to plan ahead more effectively and along with more and more people who quit drinking, designated drivers will be much easier to come by. I am also assuming the second group will get more and more comfortable with drunk driving and keep pushing themselves and then eventually get a few DUIs or get into an accident. I know it isn't that clear cut and DUIs and accidents do happen to those who I would consider in the first group but I am generalizing.

While you're waiting to find out which one of your friends it will happen to, Pierce, you would be wise to make sure it isn't you.

I know it will not be me. I quit drinking a year ago and always offer to DD and will even go out of my way to make sure my friends do not drink and drive. I have physically restrained people and have almost gotten into a fist fight about the issue. I am confident in my ability to plan ahead for myself and my friends but even then, especially for those in the young to mid twenties, it is almost impossible to know what will happen during the night so occasionally, bad situations will arise. What I have learned over the past few years is that it is not only disrespectful assholes who have no concern for other people's lives who drink and drive. There are legitimately respectful people who will drink and drive because of planning issues. This has changed my perspective on the issue and hence my different views. I am not advocating that my perspective the correct one but it is what I observe and will probably change as I get older. I am not trying to justify anyone's actions, I strongly disagree with drinking and driving, but I do realize, at least for my demographic, drinking and driving is a reality and I am thinking of possible solution.

Edit - Just in case I wasn't clear, I do not have any sympathy for people who get a DUI. If you are over the limit and drive, no matter the situation, you are taking a known risk. Plus, there is always the chance that you screw over someone else's life besides your own. But, in spite of that, it is sometimes an extreme hassle to not drink and drive for some in particular situations and many people, at least of my age, will take the risk because most people I know in those situations do not get caught or have anything bad happen to them. This is a reality and I think this should be taken into account for any anti-drunk driving law planning.