FlaglerChat.com Forum

adsma · August 18th, 2012, 01:36 PM

MADD has an ongoing campaign to eliminate drunk driving. There are currently 3 pieces of legislation in the House and Senate for the State of Florida to strengthen the penalties for drunk drivers and to support the victims of these crimes. Please go to madd.org and click on "drunk driving" and again on "MADD's campaign" to sent a letter to the governmental "powers that be" to support these penalties - this process takes less that 5 minutes. We can make a difference one drunk at a time.

My son was hit and injured by a DRUNK DRIVER and I am MADD!!

LIGirl827 · August 18th, 2012, 02:02 PM

I have a friend whose 13 yo daughter was hit and killed by a drunk driver. That was over 25 years ago, and she is still very involved in MADD. It is a national problem and one that I consider inexcusable. No one should drink and drive. It is a fallacy that someone can have a couple drinks and drive just fine. Especially here in FL where there are too many whose driving is questionable when totally sober.

I hope that the campaign is successful.

vietnamvet · August 18th, 2012, 04:16 PM

There are way to many ways for a drunk to go somewhere else without driving. Being drunk is never an excuse anymore, (thank god)
, for killing and maiming people and destroying lives. Statements like, "I know him/her and they would never have done this if they hadn't been drunk" do not hold any iota of validity anymore. Drive drunk without accident or injury, just pulled over and found to be over the limit should be the same penalty for brandishing a firearm. 10 or 15 years in prison. IMO.

towee · August 18th, 2012, 07:50 PM

Why doesn't the sheriff have deputies right outside the barroom doors and just nab the drunks before they get behind the wheel. I know, every one that comes out of a barroom isn't totally drunk, but a lot of them are impaired and shouldn't be driving. The same thing with concerts and things.

vietnamvet · August 18th, 2012, 08:34 PM

Not enough Deputies to go around I expect. Maybe something for the C.O.P.S.? That would require lot's more too.

I would like to see something passed that would require a bar owner to have the driver pass a calibrated test before they can leave the place. If they can spend 4 hours or more in the place 4 more minutes should not matter. If the one who passes the test gives the keys to the drunk then they should be charged as an accomplice! This would also relieve the Bar tender and owner from the liability they are now under.

Palm.Coaster · August 19th, 2012, 05:24 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by towee

Why doesn't the sheriff have deputies right outside the barroom doors and just nab the drunks before they get behind the wheel. I know, every one that comes out of a barroom isn't totally drunk, but a lot of them are impaired and shouldn't be driving. The same thing with concerts and things.

I believe they have to be in the vehicle with the keys in the ignition to be considered a drunk driver. Prior to that, they are just drunk. As someone else stated, probably not enough officers to go around and I don't think the C.O.P.S. can make arrests.

towee · August 19th, 2012, 08:09 AM

I meant to say that the deputies would be waiting and then arrest a person after he or she starts the car to drive away. I also do not understand why barrooms can stay open so late. Maybe if they had to stop serving alcohol,
or better yet, close, by 11 pm, there would be less drunks out there and maybe more of them would be home by a decent time.

computacat · August 19th, 2012, 08:31 AM

One night, a police officer was stalking out a particularly rowdy bar for possible violations of the driving under the influence laws. At closing time, he saw a fellow stumble out of the bar, trip on the curb, and try his keys on five different cars before he found his.

Then, he sat in the front seat fumbling around with his keys for several minutes. Everyone left the bar and drove off. Finally, he started his engine and began to pull away.

The police officer was waiting for him. He stopped the driver, read him his rights and administered the Breathalyzer test. The results showed a reading of 0.0. The puzzled officer demanded to know how that could be. The driver replied, "Tonight, I'm the Designated Decoy."

towee · August 19th, 2012, 09:30 AM

That is too funny! I can"see" the visual of that.

Jane Doe · August 19th, 2012, 09:37 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by computacat

One night, a police officer was stalking out a particularly rowdy bar for possible violations of the driving under the influence laws. At closing time, he saw a fellow stumble out of the bar, trip on the curb, and try his keys on five different cars before he found his.

Then, he sat in the front seat fumbling around with his keys for several minutes. Everyone left the bar and drove off. Finally, he started his engine and began to pull away.

The police officer was waiting for him. He stopped the driver, read him his rights and administered the Breathalyzer test. The results showed a reading of 0.0. The puzzled officer demanded to know how that could be. The driver replied, "Tonight, I'm the Designated Decoy."

Very witty!

Palm.Coaster · August 19th, 2012, 11:32 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by towee

I meant to say that the deputies would be waiting and then arrest a person after he or she starts the car to drive away. I also do not understand why barrooms can stay open so late. Maybe if they had to stop serving alcohol,
or better yet, close, by 11 pm, there would be less drunks out there and maybe more of them would be home by a decent time.

I agree. I wish we had enough officers or maybe deputized citizens to stand at every bar with a Breathalyzer and keep many (not all) drunks off the road.

Who Dat · August 20th, 2012, 07:00 AM

You know maybe the thing to do is use the taxes already collected on alcohol to furnish free rides home? It (alcohol) is already taxed at phenomenal rates why not start a service similar to say AAA which cab companies bid or accept the standard rate and then take intoxicated people home? Insurance companies could also chip in, because after all the claims they may not have to pay would lower their expenses also?

Before anyone asks... Yes I am usually the designated driver. I have seen way to many crashes both alcohol related and not.. so being under the influence and behind the wheel is just not an option for me.

vietnamvet · August 20th, 2012, 01:07 PM

I was an emergency medical technician back in 1972 for St. Louis County Missouri.

A 1967 Oldsmobile 98 came over a slight hill on a 30mph residential road at about 94 miles per hour. That was where the speedometer needle was crushed at. It smashed head on into a 1970 Toyota Corona Sedan with a young family in it that had just backed out of the husbands driveway. The wife, husband and 6 month old boy were killed instantly. The operator in the Oldsmobile was well known for drunk driving. He did not die in this one either. This murder was his third that were all deemed back then as "Accidents." That was my last day as a technician, I went back into the Army. It is murders like this that should drive us all into a MADD frenzy to change the law so it is considered first degree murder if you drive drunk. You drink, you get drunk being well aware of the consequence and you decide to drive anyway and that results in a murder of innocent people. You go to prison.

I remember at just after midnight I heard the sound of two cars coming together violently on Pine Lakes while standing in my backyard. A work van of a well known plumber had T-Boned a car pulling onto Pine Lakes. Two ladies in the car died. 37-year-old Heath Sanford was driving the van and was going home after a stop at the bar. And more lives changed forever, needlessly, by alcohol and driving. The penalties have to be stronger to stop the behavior. People who shoot and kill people while drunk who never do so had they been sober, are far less than those who kill people while driving drunk. The penalties are far different too. Murder is murder, accidents are accidents. Never the two should be considered in the same boat.

Jest · August 20th, 2012, 02:22 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by towee

Why doesn't the sheriff have deputies right outside the barroom doors and just nab the drunks before they get behind the wheel. I know, every one that comes out of a barroom isn't totally drunk, but a lot of them are impaired and shouldn't be driving. The same thing with concerts and things.

Entrapment is what that would be called.

Quote: Originally Posted by towee

I meant to say that the deputies would be waiting and then arrest a person after he or she starts the car to drive away. I also do not understand why barrooms can stay open so late. Maybe if they had to stop serving alcohol,
or better yet, close, by 11 pm, there would be less drunks out there and maybe more of them would be home by a decent time.

I do not think closing bars earlier would prevent a single thing.

Palm.Coaster · August 20th, 2012, 07:06 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Jest

Entrapment is what that would be called.

How would standing outside existing bars and catching drunks be considered entrapment? Granted, setting up a police funded bar and offering cheap or free drinks and then arresting those people would be, but standing outside an existing bar is not. If they had the bar owners permission, they could be in the parking lot. If not, they could just park on the side of the road just past the property. And you have to admit, a bar is the best place to look for drunks!