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The American Dui culture

Old 02-02-2014, 06:44 AM
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The American Dui culture

i was just wondering on holidays like the super Bowl how many people can be expected to drink and drive. Liquor stores selling cases and kegs of beer. Most people driving to friends houses so they have to drive home. I know from experience that a lot of people drink a lot on the superbowl. They have

to go to work the next day so they usually won't sleep over. The American culture of bad public transportation kind of creates a situation like this. I'm not saying it's an excuse but it is part of the problem. if you saw somebody drink too much and then get his keys to go home would you say something to them? Sometimes I do..sometimes I don't depending on the person. Also do

you think It would be a good idea to put a breath test in every American's car? It would basically solve the whole problem of drunk driving. I do feel that it would be an infringement on freedom myself. The idea has been explored though
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Old 02-02-2014, 06:49 AM
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many will be caught

Originally Posted by caboblanco View Post

do you think It would be a good idea to put a breath test in every American's car?
no
this would be very unfair in a free State
my Mom and Dad sure don't need one
let's not forget the cost -- expensive at this point in time

although with the Super Bowl
in short while
there will be more DUI drivers showing up in AA meetings
as many will be caught tonight and tomorrow morning

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Old 02-02-2014, 06:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Mountainmanbob View Post
no
this would be very unfair in a free State
my Mom and Dad sure don't need one
let's not forget the cost -- expensive at this point in time

although with the Super Bowl
in short while
there will be more DUI drivers showing up in AA meetings
as many will be caught tonight and tomorrow morning

Mountainman
while i do agree that it would be unfair. If they could make it cost effective it would save enough lives to be a consideration
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Old 02-02-2014, 06:58 AM
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Personally, I think that if all cars were equipped with a mandatory Breathalyzer, it would lead to higher crime rates; people high jacking others to where they want to be but are unable to start their vehicles. There again, it seems so much talent is wasted on finding ways to beat the system, someone would invent an aftermarket contraption to disable or override the Breathalyzer. A good public transportation system would greatly reduce the number of DUIs, but it would also reduce the revenues that are raked in by cities and the legal system.
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Old 02-02-2014, 07:02 AM
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Originally Posted by Odelle View Post
Personally, I think that if all cars were equipped with a mandatory Breathalyzer, it would lead to higher crime rates; people high jacking others to where they want to be but are unable to start their vehicles. There again, it seems so much talent is wasted on finding ways to beat the system, someone would invent an aftermarket contraption to disable or override the Breathalyzer. A good public transportation system would greatly reduce the number of DUIs, but it would also reduce the revenues that are raked in by cities and the legal system.
with all the stuff you mentioned for me the infringement on freedom is the worst one. They actually had this idea of a highly sensitive breath sensor built on all steering wheels by the manufacturer. no breath test needed there...your call would tell you if you were over the limit but you still had the freedom to start your car anyway but if you are caught there is no way out of it.
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Old 02-02-2014, 07:47 AM
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I'm in Denver, and I can guarantee there will be many, many DUI checkpoints. Usually on the news the next day they report how many DUIs there were, it's staggering really. I wont be driving around, that's for sure!

This was just posted on our local news website:

DENVER (AP) - The Colorado State Patrol is stepping up DUI enforcement across the state this Super Bowl weekend.

Patrol Chief Scott Hernandez says that with the Broncos playing in the big game Sunday, troopers expect house parties and full bars and restaurants throughout Colorado. But partygoers can also expect to see an increased law enforcement presence aimed at keeping impaired drivers off the roads.

The Colorado Department of Transportation says that in 2013, 421 DUI arrests were made over Super Bowl weekend, a considerable increase from 2012 when 275 arrests were made. Authorities say the increase in arrests was a result of the increased enforcement, which this year started Friday and will continue through Monday.

(Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Old 02-02-2014, 07:53 AM
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Originally Posted by caboblanco View Post
you think It would be a good idea to put a breath test in every American's car? It would basically solve the whole problem of drunk driving. I do feel that it would be an infringement on freedom myself. The idea has been explored though
Several people I know who have breath test machines in their car say that they are notoriously unreliable. Weak battery sets off a false alarm. Extremely cold weather sets off a false alarm. Mechanic working on car sets off false alarm. Going through a car wash sets off false alarm. Valet parking sets off a false alarm. etc...
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Old 02-02-2014, 08:05 AM
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It seems like the attitude has been changing toward drinking and driving. The MADD people are pretty good about getting people to think about it. I wouldn't like the government putting those in everyone's car.
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Old 02-02-2014, 08:17 AM
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Think of it this way. There are roughly 250 million passenger vehicles in the US currently registered. An IID costs about $200-$300 to install and $800-$1000 a year for monthly maintenance and fees. That would cost over 2 TRILLION dollars a year just for the devices. Not to mention the costs of implementation, enforcement and management.
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Old 02-02-2014, 08:36 AM
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DUI's do nothing in stopping people from drinking. Most people I know have 2 or 3 DUI's. The cost of DUI's are not quite as expensive as people tend to believe. In fact, in some States your insurance will not even find out about your DUI so your rate doesn't go up. No matter how strict DUI punishments are they will never stop. Alcohol is a mind altering drug and people will continue to drive drunk.
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Old 02-02-2014, 08:53 AM
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Originally Posted by ScottFromWI View Post
Think of it this way. There are roughly 250 million passenger vehicles in the US currently registered. An IID costs about $200-$300 to install and $800-$1000 a year for monthly maintenance and fees. That would cost over 2 TRILLION dollars a year just for the devices. Not to mention the costs of implementation, enforcement and management.
that is for people with duis though..they jack up the price because most of it goes to the state...
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Old 02-02-2014, 08:59 AM
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This is something the old New York mayor Bloomberg would maybe be for if he was president. He didn't have any problem with nanny state laws and regulations
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Old 02-02-2014, 08:59 AM
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Originally Posted by caboblanco View Post
that is for people with duis though..they jack up the price because most of it goes to the state...
The actual numbers are not really that important, the point is it would be astronomically expensive and a clear violation of privacy.

This argument is akin to the "make alcohol illegal one" It's a fun philosophical/political debate, but impractical in reality.
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Old 02-02-2014, 09:01 AM
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Originally Posted by ScottFromWI View Post
The actual numbers are not really that important, the point is it would be astronomically expensive and a clear violation of privacy.

This argument is akin to the "make alcohol illegal one" It's a fun philosophical/political debate, but impractical in reality.
i agree scott. I often wonder how much dui laws are created for safety and how much for revenue...there is money to be made by dui lawyers too
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Old 02-02-2014, 10:34 AM
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If I was king for a day I wouldn't put breathalyzers in cars. I'd make the legal drinking limit .000. Everything would be so much simpler. I even thought that when I drove everywhere with a beer between my legs.

I think that changing the culture of drinking and driving, lowering the tolerance by society is what changes the amount of drunk driving. Just look at the acceptance of cigarette smoking in the US now, it has dropped drastically since I was a smoker in 1980. I see the same thing happening with drunk driving.
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