Honest poll: did you ever drink and drive?

Drunk driving is overblown. Everybody does it, and there are plenty of hypocrites in denial. It's not really that big of a deal. I'm 24. Me and my buddy usually take road trips to DC, and everytime we usually bring some 'roadies.' Usually something good in a flask, but sometimes a sixer of Flying Dog, anything over 7%. Once we polish them off, we usually hit a bowl or two before arriving.

Years of doing this, we've never been caught. I've driven while drinking and smoking pot plenty of times with out repercussion. It's easy. Oftentimes, I get a good laugh passing people pulled over, and I'll blow the hit right out the window at those morons.

Again, drunk driving isn't that bad. I'm a fidgety wreck when sober behind the wheel. With alcohol and/or marijuana in my system, I calm down, I use my blinkers--I'm actually responsible. I've almost gotten into plenty of accidents sober--never when 'under the influence.'

People who got messed up driving drunk or high or whatever are stupid. That's it. They're stupid. They drive haphazardly, they overestimate their abilities, they don't look out for cops, etc. THEY'RE STUPID. Survival of the fittest. I can't help that I'm smarter and safer than stupid morons who rev their Camaros up to 115 and then flip their cars. Alcohol is life's way of removing the idiots from existence.

There's nothing wrong with people driving with some alcohol in their systems as long as they are cognizant. A lot of you find this statement preposterous, but again, a lot of you are STUPID. What, so people can pop adderall and anxiety pills and anti-depression pills and have that chemical shit churning in their brains while on the road, but that's okay?? Why, because it's "controlled"? Because some doctor who wanted money, and a patient wanting a quick fix, decided to team-up?

Get outta here. So many hypocrites and narrow-minded people living in this world, it's no wonder I withdrew from the legal work force years ago...

silly thread wrote:

Alcohol is life's way of removing the idiots from existence.

Thank god we have alcohol to remove all of those innocent children who are killed when a drunk driver slams into their mom's minivan!

I never did, but I wasn't that big of a drinker, and in college if I was drinking there was usually not a need to drive (could walk between bars, apartments, houses, etc).

I did ride in a car being driven by a drunk person once, and while it's still unacceptable, the driver wasn't really that drunk, it was 10 minutes of low speed in town driving, and we didn't have a single close call.

I don't think you understand relative risk. You're something like 5-10 times more likely to get in an accident when you're drinking. What this means is that you'll be perfectly fine most of the time; instead of getting in an accident once every 100,000 miles (or whatever), it's 1 in 25,000.

When you have millions of people driving drunk, that risk adds up, accounting for tens of thousands of excess deaths every year.

I used to all the time. Over the last 10 years I've made sure there's a bar within walking distance. I enjoy the sauce - might as well be safe.

i was being serious. i got a cab ride in NO in 1990 and the driver had a can of beer between his legs, legally i suppose. you gen x- and yer's don't realize how loose drunk driving was in the day....

okay, here's an easier quiz: who sang the words

how could anyone be so unkind, to arrest a man for driving while blind?

okay, no guesses, so here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdWSqiqd45c

I hope the next time you drink and drive and are having a good laugh about it you end up getting into a collision in a secluded area and die so that it doesn't end up involving an innocent person or persons.

You are a fuc.king idiot. Yours is coming, bet on it.

lest we forget, the spiritual patron of Letsrun, St. Steve of the wayward MG, enjoyed some cylinders of irresponsibility whilst motoring, may he rest in peace, somewhere near the Eugene track water pit, kinda near some flowers....

music answer #2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfO8TcBa6I0

Azaleas wrote:

Açaí wrote:

On a somewhat-similar note, how many people text and drive regularly? I recently dropped the habit but I would imagine it's just as dangerous as driving drunk or while tired.

Texting and driving is just as bad or worse than driving drunk, but only while you're texting. Unlike driving drunk, you aren't texting the whole time you're driving.

They say driving on 4 hours of sleep is similar to driving drunk (at least as far as reaction time), which is pretty scary when you think about it. At any given time half the drivers on the road are probably sleep deprived.

I've gotten in cars with drivers that have had a two or three beers over dinner and felt safe. I absolutely REFUSE to drive with anyone texting. I always demand that the driver put away the phone or pull over immediately and let me out.

I won't drive if I have more than one drink in my system. I never have and I never will.

Yes, but I had an excuse. I wasn't able to walk.

NO. NEVER. How could you possibly think it is okay to risk your LIFE and the lives of OTHERS for a temporary "convenience"?

And in the much smaller picture, how could you make such a thoughtless decision that could possibly end your running career in a careless moment? I bet there are sacrifices you make every day because if you didn't you know you wouldn't be able to get out the door and run 10 miles the next day. If you're in a bad car crash from drunk driving you might not be able to walk let alone run. Or could you live with the guilt of taking that away from a friend or even a stranger?

It really saddened me to read this thread and see so many people not value life enough to gamble with it. Drunk driving doesn't make you adventurous or on the other hand portray you as someone fun and carefree. It makes you selfish.

Like many others on this thread (and in life), I have struggled with drunk driving. Happy to say that I have not driven drunk since my 22nd birthday. I will be 25 in about 2 months. I am not sure what can be done to prevent people from this unbelievably selfish and careless act.

Garbage wrote:

I never did, but I wasn't that big of a drinker, and in college if I was drinking there was usually not a need to drive (could walk between bars, apartments, houses, etc).

I did ride in a car being driven by a drunk person once, and while it's still unacceptable, the driver wasn't really that drunk, it was 10 minutes of low speed in town driving, and we didn't have a single close call.

WOW, you lead and exciting and dangerous life.

Thanks for 'fessing up.

I am a late 40's guy, and when I was in hs the drinking age was 18. And, even at 16 everyone had a friend who looked 18 or an older brother that would buy beer for them. The result was that for most of my last two years in high school and first year in college, I either drove drunk or probably was in a car with someone who was on a weekly basis.

At the time I justified it because we never "joyrided" - we were always as attentive and careful as we could be when driving after drinking.

That was all before I lost a good friend to this stupidity. For a while, I just thought maybe I was unlucky. But, if you talk to someone my age or older, pretty much everyone can talk about a friend they have lost because of this.

There is no doubt that I consider my behavior in those years to be the most regretful thing I have done in my entire life. If you are younger, trust me, when you get older you will realize just how insane it is to drive drunk.

I have done SOME drinking and then driven home, like probably just about everyone here. But my max for drinks is 3, and usually just 2, so I don't think I've even been above the legal blood alcohol limit.

I've never drank and drove, but I've ridden with a fair number of people who had been drinking, which I suppose is just as bad.

Super Smashed Bros wrote:

How many here have drunk drove, be it one time or several? Is there any possible way to prevent drinking and driving among the nation's young? I doubt it, unfortunately.

Back in college when I was living place to place during the summer months (while living in the dorms the rest of school year..) I remember coming home one night after being at a bar and had few too many (okay, for me 3-4 drinks, yes I was a light weight at the time..) and driving on a country road...All I remember was driving down a dark road and seeing bunch of red/blue lights to the side of the road (police cars) and a white blanket that looked like it covered a body? (it spooked me, b/c it sure looked like someone had died) and from then on...I focused so hard to stay "alert" and get home w/o hurting someone or get caught. It was one of my scariest moment, second to another time when I was working night shift--and I barely could stay awake to drive home. Not too sure which was worse.