How come I can't drink a beer or two on the ride home?? *Please read entire OP before posting*

reply to post by moosevernel


sorry to point this out but the op said NOT driving he meant as a passenger.

2end line

[edit on 21-8-2010 by GunzCoty]

reply to post by GunzCoty


thats why i edited my post

You are all fully indoctrinated. It used to be completely legal to have open containers in the car, as long as the driver was not drinking. You didn't HAVE to wear a seatbelt, if you wanted to risk your own face by not wearing it that was your own problem. The speed limit was seventy or even unlimited in some states. Yet somehow, fatalities per mile have not changed.

These are just a few of the ways that they are ratcheting tighter the chains that bind you. You don't know what to do, you need to be told what to do. Somehow, not that long ago, everyone could handle themselves fine without Big Brother watching over them. Apparently, the latest generation just can't handle it. These rules don't help anyone, they are just more ways to ream you deeper, and you THANK them for doing it, and helping save you from yourself and your lameness.

Kids now must be carried in car seats, and wear helmets on their bikes. Somehow, I rode bikes nonstop for my entire childhood, without a helmet. This was when Evel Knievl was huge, we were taking our bikes off crazy jumps at all times. THE HORROR! Yet I somehow lived through it. I never rode in a carseat. Hell, the cars only had lap belts which are pretty useless anyway. We made so many road trips to Florida, with my dad smoking in the car, and the kids jumping around in the back. Through some MIRACLE, we all lived through all the second hand smoke, and the lack of car seats and seatbelts! I must just be the luckiest SOB in the world to have survived by the skin of my teeth, right? These days my dad would have been ARRESTED FOR CHILD ABUSE.

Yet you all think this is good. You feel SAFE, and SECURE, with the cops watching over you and telling you what to do. Don't worry, just go back to sleep.

Down here in totally UNFREE Mexico, unlike the "freest country in the world", you can have open containers, as long as it';s not the driver. You even could be smoking a fattie, as long as you didn't crash into someone else. THE HORROR! It's so DANGEROUS around here! Man, you guys have it so nice and SAFE! I'm going down to the beach and burn a spliff just to take away my envy!

Luckily, they DID institute a seatbelt rule here a year ago, to imitate the gringos, and make everyone SAFE. It's not just so they can pull you over and fine you. Why, when you don't wear a seatbelt, you are endangering EVERYONE! You need to be fined! Of course, if you are standing up in the back of a pickup truck, you are perfectly safe, so that's ok. Or if you ride with a three year old on the handlebars of your motorcycle, that's fine. But if you are in a CAR and not wearing a seatbelt, well, then you are just endangering everyone. It has nothing to do with the money. Pay up.

i do a manual labour job as well. i am a garbage man. you wont find any harder workers then us for the wage we are given. construction workers make more money then we do and only 1 of them is working while the other 3 stand and watch and chit chat about bull#. it always pisses me off so go passed them and there "tough" job.

I move around 10 tonnes of refuse DAILY and I am only 1 of about 45 guys. and you think you have a tough job... anyways starting to head off topic. 450 tonnes a day...A DAY.

anyways.

i can see the need for alcohol. nothing is better after a days work...10-12 hours...then having a couple shots of liquid relaxation and a joint to puff on. you need to unwind from a day that is GO GO GO!

one of my coworkers is an alchy, he comes in drunk and by around 7am (we start at 6am) he already has the shakes, I feel bad for him. But even he waits until he gets home before he starts drinking.

i mean i understand when i get home i have about 2-3 hours of personal time before I have to go to bed and be up for 5am, so you want to fit in as much as you can before you have to pack it in and start all over. but to not even wait until you get home... i dunno man.

almost all of the guys i work with do drugs and drink alot. i think it just comes with the territory of being in the manual labour trade. my back has been in pain for the passed 3 weeks. and i mean pain, what did the doctor do for me? give me pain killers? no...he gave me an anti-inflammitory and said hope this helps, i smirked and said me too.

the doctor did nothing so i self medicate. marijuana and vodka or whiskey. flag this post because i admited to drug use...oh no!. deny ignorance. on a tangent, the website makes me chuckle, we deny ignorance but dont you ever mention drug use!

peace, take what you want from this post, not sure what i had in my head when i started it, ramblings. haha.

i share your pain,

reply to post by Mike Stivic


You got a valid point. If the driver isn't drinking then I don't care how many beers the passengers throw back. Problem is, if there is a wreck and bodies are thrown out of the car, how can they tell who was driving?

Sober people wreck all the time.

But I have to side with you by a slim margin 51 to 49. I mean really, why does it matter as long as the driver isn't drinking.

Originally posted by Aliensun
In Texas, when I got here, it was legal to drive and drive. Literally with the beer in your hand. Where I came from, Illinois, it was illegal to have a six-pack in the trunk with one can (or more missing).

As a former alcohol and drug counselor, I would say that you are focusing too much on your personal problem.

In answer to your personal dilemma, the answer is quite simple. The laws are made to protect other people, not you. It is called public safety.

[edit on 21-8-2010 by Aliensun]

Still is legal in the backwoods of Texas. Every other day someone get's creamed by a semi in the Big Thickett. Drinking and driving...

But you know what, the problem is so rampant I don't think they can stop it in Texas.

Originally posted by Come Clean

 

Problem is, if there is a wreck and bodies are thrown out of the car, how can they tell who was driving?

Seat belts should prevent that. Something similar happened to a couple of friends and the state police looked at things like seat position and mirrors and which person it matched up to. Of course similar heights and leg lengths would make that useless. But if people are getting thrown out of a vehicle there's bound to be blood, hair and other forensic evidence to place the position of the occupants.

Skipped through the thread after the first page so excuse me if someone has already stated this...

It has nothing to do with your inability to act in the event of an accident, nor your potential for puking/getting angry/etc. If these were actual concerns, it would be illegal to be a designated driver, and well, it most certainly is not.

It comes down to having a controlled substance open and accessible to the operator of the vehicle. Sure, if you get pulled over they can do a breathalyzer test, but if people are freely drinking in sight of police, these pull overs will become so commonplace that real crimes will go unnoticed due to the extra workload.

So that's it. Drinking as a driver is illegal, drinking as a passenger isn't explicitly illegal, but having an open container in the cab of the vehicle being illegal might as well make drinking as a passenger illegal. Having a law that makes it legal for a passenger to drink (or rather, legal for open containers) just creates regular scenarios where the reasonable suspicion that a crime may be taking place is just too much bull# to deal with.

[edit on 22-8-2010 by Abject]

[edit on 22-8-2010 by Abject]

If you are drinking and driving, you should be arrested as you go, because you MIGHT crash. If there is even a beer anywhere near you, you are BUSTED.

By this rationale, anyone carrying a gun, or even having one in their house, should be arrested for murder immediately because they MIGHT shoot someone.

Therefore, anyone demonstrating rampant ineptitude and carelessness, and lack of any driving skills, should be arrested on the spot for murder because they MIGHT cause a crash and kill someone. Oh wait, that would mean around ninety percent of all drivers should be arrested on the spot, because they can barely control the car.

OK so all dummies should have their licenses revoked immediately. This would clear most traffic from the road, since it's mostly a bunch of idiots that have no business driving a freaking tricycle let alone a car. This would keep the roads safe for the few of us that actually are skilled drivers. YES.

But wait, if you kill someone because you are just inept and ran them over because you weren't paying attention and lost control, you will get in NO TROUBLE AT ALL. But if your passenger has a beer in hand, you should be arrested immediately, whether anyone got hurt or not. OK.

Lets just assume "On the record" its to promote safety and "off the record" its to get more monthly quotas. As for limo's...you realize a limo needs a liqueur license in order to allow liqueur to be consumed inside.

And while we are on the subject...why can't you ride a bike and drink...i mean a bicycle not a motorcycle.

Why can't you walk and drink?

There are a lot of dumb laws that are enforced but you have to remember the reason they are there is because some dumb ass screwed it for all of us by doing something retarded. Plain and simple. Now if you wanted to change the law, start asking for signatures...

Originally posted by CaptChaos

But wait, if you kill someone because you are just inept and ran them over because you weren't paying attention and lost control, you will get in NO TROUBLE AT ALL. But if your passenger has a beer in hand, you should be arrested immediately, whether anyone got hurt or not. OK.

Vehicular homicide, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, or many other potential charges do not equal "no trouble at all". There are legal repercussions for unsafe driving whether intoxicants were involved or not.

Originally posted by LoneGunMan
reply to post by Death_Kron

 

Sorry but your apartment is not going sixty miles an hour on the same road as children. Your house catches fire and you leave. You hit someone and you are dead. Your house fire analogy is very lame. Your conscience and not sleeping so what you are going to just stand there and let the fire consume you because you set the grease on fire?

Bad logic.

It is definately not bad logic at all, as other have mentioned a baby crying could distract a driver and potentially cause a crash. I also remember reading somewhere that one of the biggest cause's of crashing a vehicle is the driver adjusting the radio.

So by your logic, radio's in cars should be banned, mothers should not be allowed to ride with their babies (unless it's known for fact that said baby will not cry) and a vast amount of other scenario's would not be possible.

I think your confusing what you define as "drunk", in relation to the OP's post he's only drinking one or two cans of beer max; that isn't enough to get anyone drunk. Certainly not to the point where the passenger is slurring his words and obviously putting the driver in danger!

As I mentioned before, if a passenger enters a vehicle and doesn't wear his seat belt then the driver is to blame. Obviously I'm not saying it's right for a driver to be blamed when a drunken passenger's actions have resulted in a car crash but the driver should allow a drunken passenger into his/her vehicle at their discretion.

I personally wouldn't let anyone into my vehicle if I thought that they were that pissed they could possibly cause me to crash but I definately wouldn't refuse someone entry into my car who simply wanted to drink a beer or two on the way home.

Put thing's into perspective man, he's drinking 2 beers max not half a bottle of vodka!!!

[edit on 22/8/10 by Death_Kron]

[edit on 22/8/10 by Death_Kron]

Originally posted by Hefficide

Originally posted by CaptChaos

But wait, if you kill someone because you are just inept and ran them over because you weren't paying attention and lost control, you will get in NO TROUBLE AT ALL. But if your passenger has a beer in hand, you should be arrested immediately, whether anyone got hurt or not. OK.

Vehicular homicide, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, or many other potential charges do not equal "no trouble at all". There are legal repercussions for unsafe driving whether intoxicants were involved or not.

Oh really? Because I know personally of two incidents where people died due to idiots losing control for no reason and there were no arrests, let alone jail time.

Hell, Dick Cheney shot his buddy dead "by accident". This should have been reckless endangerment or "reckless firearm discharge". What about that?

Oh, wait. He's one of those people that the rest of the morons rely on to tell them what to do and not do. So then it's ok. HE knows what he is doing. He is above the law.

reply to post by CaptChaos


If incidents occur where no charges are filed then it is because the determination was made that nobody was at fault and that the incidents were accidents.

It is sad when people are lost in accidents but they do happen.

Originally posted by TheVaultDweller
There are a lot of dumb laws that are enforced but you have to remember the reason they are there is because some dumb ass screwed it for all of us by doing something retarded. Plain and simple. Now if you wanted to change the law, start asking for signatures...

Exactly. A lack of self control and common sense from some necessitates laws in the first place. There weren't always DUI laws, inspection laws, cell phone laws, etc.

It's just asking for a disaster to happen so that is why it is not allowed.

Originally posted by CaptChaos

Originally posted by Hefficide

Originally posted by CaptChaos

But wait, if you kill someone because you are just inept and ran them over because you weren't paying attention and lost control, you will get in NO TROUBLE AT ALL. But if your passenger has a beer in hand, you should be arrested immediately, whether anyone got hurt or not. OK.

Vehicular homicide, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, or many other potential charges do not equal "no trouble at all". There are legal repercussions for unsafe driving whether intoxicants were involved or not.

Oh really? Because I know personally of two incidents where people died due to idiots losing control for no reason and there were no arrests, let alone jail time.

Hell, Dick Cheney shot his buddy dead "by accident". This should have been reckless endangerment or "reckless firearm discharge". What about that?

Oh, wait. He's one of those people that the rest of the morons rely on to tell them what to do and not do. So then it's ok. HE knows what he is doing. He is above the law.

First things first: It's not illegal to wreck an automobile. If you kill someone with no violation of law, then you generally can't be prosecuted for criminal murder.

If you are consciously doing something, like fiddling with the radio, buttoning your shirt, applying makeup, talking on a phone, DRINKING ALCOHOL etc... while driving and you hit and kill someone, YOU WILL GO TO JAIL because the homicide was performed while in violation of the law - wreckless driving and/or driving under the influence.

Now, if your best friend put a wasp nest in your car and you were driving and.. ALL OF THE SUDDEN WASPS OH MY GOD WASPS ... and the next thing you know some guys body is sprayed all over your hood and windshield, then you won't be convicted for murder either... but your friend will probably get hit with criminal-negligence manslaughter.

Also, hunting accidents are usually justifiable/excusable homicide. If the court can not prove intent, then you are innocent. Even if Cheny wasn't the vice president, he would not have faced any charges. He fired at a flushed quail, leading it for far too long until he was lined up with his hunting buddy. Poor judgment was there, but it is not criminal and shows no intent.

How did the court know, in this case, that it was an accident? BECAUSE THE GUY CHENEY SHOT SAID IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. HE WASN'T KILLED.

The anti-bush/cheney people blew the incident into a full blown murder when it wasn't that at all.

Ahhh....."Road pops" like my dad used to call them.

What's to say? You have admitted you are an alchoholic on an anonymous internet forum...have you tried it at an AA meeting yet?

Every alchoholic stops drinking sometime...the question is whether that happens when you are above ground or below it. Your call.

Try sobreity...no bs..

reply to post by maybereal11


"Ahhh....."Road pops" like my dad used to call them.

What's to say? You have admitted you are an alchoholic on an anonymous internet forum...have you tried it at an AA meeting yet?"
-
---I think I have addressed in the OP, and severel other times through the course of the discussion, why my alcoholism was mentioned and that it was not the topic of the thread.
_______________________________________________

"Every alchoholic stops drinking sometime...the question is whether that happens when you are above ground or below it. Your call.

Try sobreity...no bs.."
-
--- Thank you for your advice.

Your input was appreciated and perhaps one day I will act upon some of the great advice fellow ATSer's have tried to give .

_______________________________________________________
Also I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has participated in the discussion regardless if we agree or not

Respectfully,

~meathead

Originally posted by Mike Stivic

--- Thank you for your advice.

Your input was appreciated and perhaps one day I will act upon some of the great advice fellow ATSer's have tried to give .

_______________________________________________________
Also I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has participated in the discussion regardless if we agree or not

Respectfully,

~meathead

Best wishes in the meanwhile. Stay safe and if ever you hit bottom, really hit bottom, remember there is another way and give it a try....but get help, addiction is a powerful disease and there are tons of folks who know your life intimately through thier own experience. In the meanwhile take good care of yourself every chance you get.