From what I see, “most” serious accidents involve way more than a bac way in excess of .08. I actually believe this fairly low limit is more of a zero tolerance/revenue source driver than anything else. They want to “scare the pants off you” so you won’t drink “at all”… Thank you Mothers against Drunk Drivers. The statistics aren’t very helpful because they categorize any accident that has one of the drivers with any BAC as “involving alcohol”. In truth, this means that Bob has had a couple of beers… driving down the road and someone runs a stop sign and plows into the side of him… Alcohol is still cited as a factor even if Bob would have had absolutely no way of preventing the accident… sober or not. Yes, they do studies on slowed reaction time… but in many cases, these accidents would have happened… even if no one involved had had a drink.
That being said, I don’t drink and drive… I don’t want to take the risk. To be honest, I think it sucks that the majority have to suffer for the extreme and poor behavior of a minority. I also am not sure that the laws keep the “bad drunks” off the road anyway… they are the ones that won’t stop… no matter what.
All we can do is deal with the reality that it is what it is now… so you value your license and job? plan your drinking “exit plan” before you pick up that first drink.
Back in my younger days I was no angel. Never had a DUI luckily. However like Canal pointed out the .08 limit doesn’t have to be reached in order to be arrested. I have much more to lose nowadays so I don’t drink at all before I drive.
I have known a couple guys out here who have had DUI’s while holding a license an only one of them had his license suspended for 6 months. At least that is what he told me.
I think if I were the OP I would test before the court date and a possible conviction. Then deal with this after the fact. But a good attorney with experience in this area would be wise.
[QUOTE=brjones;133899]Back in my younger days I was no angel. Never had a DUI luckily. However like Canal pointed out the .08 limit doesn’t have to be reached in order to be arrested. I have much more to lose nowadays so I don’t drink at all before I drive.
I have known a couple guys out here who have had DUI’s while holding a license an only one of them had his license suspended for 6 months. At least that is what he told me.
I think if I were the OP I would test before the court date and a possible conviction. Then deal with this after the fact. But a good attorney with experience in this area would be wise.[/QUOTE]
The main point was that you can be perfectly ambulatory, but if you test .08 you are toast.
And you can blow/test .05, but if you fail field sobriety and clearly impaired via video and eye witness testimnoy you’re still toast.
I am in favor of throwing the book at the guys who are driving drunk at 2.0. However, .08 & 1.0 are ridiculous standards. No one is too drunk to be able to drive safely at .08. Many people are over .08 after two beers. The level of impairment at .08 is about the same as for a person who has just worked for 8 hours. A person with a cold or the flu is much more impaired. Someone texting while driving is much much more impaired. Our overbearing goody two shoes government is squeezing the fun out of life and killing off an important social activity — having a couple beers at the pub with our friends.
If you have a Commercial drivers license it’s even worse. .04 any time you’re in your personal vehicle, and any detectible amount if your operating a commercial vehicle.
Around here, the limit for DUI is 0.05. I have never understood the fuss about the limit because in the end no-one forces beer down your throat. If there’s a chance that drinking a few cold ones could put your career on the firing line, order a freaking soda instead…
My point exactly. If you’re dumb enough to put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation like drinking AT ALL and then driving, then you’re too damn stupid for a USCG license.
[QUOTE=LI_Domer;133946]If you have a Commercial drivers license it’s even worse. .04 any time you’re in your personal vehicle, and any detectible amount if your operating a commercial vehicle.[/QUOTE]
That is incorrect. Its only .04 when in a commercial vehicle, not your personal vehicle. Any detectable amount under .04 in a commercial vehicle puts you off the road for 24 hours, probably doubles your insurance rates, and possibly get you fired.
For those of you who love your big pickups and like putting commercial plates on them just because you can, watch out, those commercial plates make it .04 for you too, even if you don’t need a commercial license to drive your truck, and you’re only on a pleasure trip.
[QUOTE=Tups;133948]Around here, the limit for DUI is 0.05. I have never understood the fuss about the limit because in the end no-one forces beer down your throat. If there’s a chance that drinking a few cold ones could put your career on the firing line, order a freaking soda instead…[/QUOTE]
That is the point. Now we are trapped in our homes in front of the TV or the computer, unable to socialize with our friends at the pub because we don’t want to be hassled by a bunch of gung ho teenage wannabe storm troopers with a $15 an hour government job, a gun, and a badge, who are oh so desperate to catch somebody doing something, while we are on our way home from the pub, even after we have only been drinking soda. We don’t dare to throw a party at home for fear of “social host liability” which is specifically excluded from coverage in our home owner’s insurance policy. These goody two shoes polices are squeezing the fun out of life. While they terrorize responsible drinkers, they do very little to keep the hardcore alcoholics, who are the real problem, off the road.
Er
[QUOTE=tugsailor;133957]That is the point. Now we are trapped in our homes in front of the TV or the computer, unable to socialize with our friends at the pub because we don’t want to be hassled by a bunch of gung ho teenage wannabe storm troopers with a $15 an hour government job, a gun, and a badge, who are oh so desperate to catch somebody doing something, while we are on our way home from the pub, even after we have only been drinking soda. We don’t dare to throw a party at home for fear of “social host liability” which is specifically excluded from coverage in our home owner’s insurance policy. These goody two shoes polices are squeezing the fun out of life. While they terrorize responsible drinkers, they do very little to keep the hardcore alcoholics, who are the real problem, off the road.
Er[/QUOTE]
If you want to socialize with your friends but need to drive home then drink sweet tea instead. If the thought of not drinking is more than you can bear, but TV at home doesn’t suit your fancy either, then read a book.
It wouldn’t double your rates because there’d be no charge on your DMV Abstract, but you would definitely get fired from any reputable company. I just meant that you couldn’t operate with any detectible amount. I’ve been told though, around here at least, that with your CDL it’s .04 even operating your personal vehicle. I could be wrong, it does vary by state too. Either way that’s pretty much the equivalent of I had 1 beer two hours ago.
Its .04 in ny with a commercial vehicle. .08 in your own vehicle but your still screwed. 1st time is 18 months. 2nd is 10yrs. 3 time is no drivers license for life. And a refusal is just as worse. Yeah it sucks but not worth my job and my license.