As in the 1840s right?
As in the 1840s right?
Agreed. It was reported his BAC was only .16 when he died. That means he was capable of making the active decision whether or not to drive. It's not like he was blackout drunk and drove home in a stupor. He probably drove drunk regularly and didn't think twice about it. Dude was a moron and an ass.
Frat boy drunk DUI wrote:
Why isn't it stressed that Prefontaine was a moron? Guy could've killed someone driving drunk
You are right however 45 years ago driving while intoxicated was not deemed an important social or legal issue
Moms Against Drunk Runners wrote:
He did. Himself
69deep69me
eugener wrote:
He did. He killed himself. But it wasn't his fault. Isn't there a story about some kid and his dad that were there trying to lift the car?
He maybe wanted to die like James Dean
Am I wrong to think Pre mania is a cheap marking gimmick made up by Nike? I am not saying he is some bad guy but it seems all the drumming of his interest is by Nike. I don't get why he is special.
OVERRATED wrote:
Agreed. It was reported his BAC was only .16 when he died. That means he was capable of making the active decision whether or not to drive. It's not like he was blackout drunk and drove home in a stupor. He probably drove drunk regularly and didn't think twice about it. Dude was a moron and an ass.
A BAC of .16 is significant, not something to be described as "only". At that level Perfontaine should have been vomiting and hardly able to walk. Kenny Moore, Frank Shorter and others with Prefontaine that night did not think he was drunk. No slurring of words or anything like that.
I wonder how accurate the BAC blood test was in 1974. Who knows if proper protocols were followed.
1974 was a different era. Looser attitudes about drinking. I'm not going to write off everything the man accomplished in his life based on one night of too much drinking.
sbeefyk1 wrote:
Because runners are naturally depressed people who all drink and run heavily to escape the realities of life.
This is why LR is filled with angry depressed people.
^
Unfortunately, this is not inaccurate.
You're judging another time by today's standards.
Not justifying his actions, but the time's have changed dramatically.
I'm sure you've never driven distracted. Talking on a cell phone, texting, arguing with a passenger, taking your eyes off the road, eating, changing radio stations etc. Any of these can result in an accident.
I think texting is as dangerous as driving intoxicated.
1974... yeah baby wrote:
OVERRATED wrote:Agreed. It was reported his BAC was only .16 when he died. That means he was capable of making the active decision whether or not to drive. It's not like he was blackout drunk and drove home in a stupor. He probably drove drunk regularly and didn't think twice about it. Dude was a moron and an ass.
A BAC of .16 is significant, not something to be described as "only". At that level Perfontaine should have been vomiting and hardly able to walk. Kenny Moore, Frank Shorter and others with Prefontaine that night did not think he was drunk. No slurring of words or anything like that.
I wonder how accurate the BAC blood test was in 1974. Who knows if proper protocols were followed.
1974 was a different era. Looser attitudes about drinking. I'm not going to write off everything the man accomplished in his life based on one night of too much drinking.
^Correct answer. Other significant details -
1) This happened at night, kids in a school zone did not apply (as somebody else alluded)
2) Although there are several plausible 'other car' theories out there, none have been proven
3) Although the James Dean parallel seems obvious, in fact James had NOT been drinking, was struck by another vehicle at a poorly designed intersection of highways in rural CA, and had a passenger who survived
fwiw, I think the blood test was suspect. Frank Shorter said he felt plenty safe having Prefontaine drive him home.
Moreover, Prefontaine managed to make an extreme sharp turn to avoid an oncoming car. That is not how Drunk drivers react. Drunk drivers are too drunk to react.
Driving a convertible is what got him killed.
Ryan Foreman wrote:
fwiw, I think the blood test was suspect. Frank Shorter said he felt plenty safe having Prefontaine drive him home.
Moreover, Prefontaine managed to make an extreme sharp turn to avoid an oncoming car. That is not how Drunk drivers react. Drunk drivers are too drunk to react.
Driving a convertible is what got him killed.
You're a fv king moron. There was no other car. Pre was a known alcoholic who was also well known for his reckless driving. He had been pulled over by the police many times while drunk but was let off because of who he is.
The fv king drunk snuffed his own life out before he could kill someone else. He was a menace to the community Good riddance, azzzhole.
I have it on good authority that Drunken B*stard drove while intoxicated more than once. Even"lost" his car at a grocery store when he went in and left it running in neutral.