I think that back in the day - 70s, 80s, maybe even the 90s - people were more casual or relaxed about it. Driving when drunk was illegal - and not a good thing to do of course - but I think we were much more likely to, how shall we put it, sail a bit close to the wind.
The other difference, of...
Yes, speed is a factor but putting it like that is very misleading. If you hit somebody at 5mph, you are unlikely to kill them, even if you're on your mobile and pissed as a newt. Hit them at 60mph, though, even if you're driving within the speed limit and totally sober, you're going to do them...
OK then, sensible discussion. For all offences, there is usually a range of sentences the judges or magistrates can apply, and the outcome of the crime is one of the things they will quite properly take into consideration when determining the sentence. If you assault someone and put them in...
No they haven't. If a death is involved, the charge can be causing death by dangerous driving (driving when pissed is by definition dangerous) or even manslaughter.
Still, it annoys you. OK - do you honestly think any government will take that into account?
Now that this thread has descended into farce, hyperbole and fantasy {life without parole for drinking a pint and then driving, for example) it's time to add another stat (source DfT) into the mix.
Almost 1800 people are killed on Britain's roads every year - far too many, and each one a major...
I sincerely hope you're not driving for the next 24 hours or so!
But fair enough, life sentence with no parole for drinking a pint and driving home - with no parole. Might as well make it the death sentence then - its much cheaper.
Or we could just have mobile gallows parked outside pub car...
Not the Government for a start.
They can't build enough prisons now, nor can they afford people to staff them
Huge damage to the economy, with huge numbers of erstwhile productive taxpayers ceasing to be economic production units.
Huge backlash from their chums in the motor industry and motor...
No it isn't. Please check what I wrote; I wasn't talking about what drivers, drunk or not, think subjectively. I'm talking objectively - some drivers are better than others; that's a fact. Some drivers, even with (a legal amount of) alcohol inside them, may still be better drivers than others...
The fact that some zealots who want to completely change our whole lifestyle cannot grasp is that some people with 34.9mg/100mi of alcohol in breath are still better and safer drivers than some without ant alcohol. Don't think there's any way of testing who falls into which category, so let's...
Absolutely this. Zero tolerance would require most people to make a complete lifestyle decision: either you drink, or you drive. If you need to drive for work or to get to work, you can't have a drink in the week. Ever.
Drink(s) on Friday evening? Not if you want to do your weekly shopping trip...