Comments on: Drunk Biking http://www.duiblog.com/2008/07/24/drunk-biking/ Bad Drunk Driving Laws, False Evidence and a Fading Constitution Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:45:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Village Idiot http://www.duiblog.com/2008/07/24/drunk-biking/comment-page-1/#comment-1451 Village Idiot Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:40:49 +0000 http://www.duiblog.com/?p=742#comment-1451 I know a couple of people who were charged with DUI while riding bikes, way back in college. They rode their bikes because they didn't want to drive home drunk. Since this was a long time ago, the DUI thing wasn't quite so serious so for subsequent trips to the bar they just drove their cars. Success? One drunk college buddy of mine rode his bike right into a hedge once, and it was pretty funny to watch. It would've been all different in a car, I'm guessing, and not so funny. I have personally been HIT BY A CAR while riding my bike home late one night, but it wasn't too bad; I was only momentarily unconscious and when I came to in a few seconds I jumped up and took off. I'd had a few drinks but was probably not over the legal limit, but no sense sticking around to find out even though the car blatantly cut me off. Making DUI on a bicycle the same offense as DUI in a car is insane and erodes respect for the justice $y$tem in general. I'm an avid cyclist and not just to and from bars (that's ancient history), so I know how much more hyper-aware of traffic I am while on a bike compared to driving a car (being hit a few times helps). From personal experience I've seen that there's no way in hell that drunk cyclists are anywhere near the kind of threat to the public that drunk drivers are, and citing the unlikely scenario of a drunk cyclist weaving into traffic and causing an accident is no more or less likely than the same drunk person weaving their car into another lane and doing the same. Or better yet, consider the probable damage and injury caused by a drunk cyclist weaving into a lane of traffic vs. a drunk driver weaving onto a sidewalk. I know a couple of people who were charged with DUI while riding bikes, way back in college.

They rode their bikes because they didn’t want to drive home drunk. Since this was a long time ago, the DUI thing wasn’t quite so serious so for subsequent trips to the bar they just drove their cars. Success?

One drunk college buddy of mine rode his bike right into a hedge once, and it was pretty funny to watch. It would’ve been all different in a car, I’m guessing, and not so funny.

I have personally been HIT BY A CAR while riding my bike home late one night, but it wasn’t too bad; I was only momentarily unconscious and when I came to in a few seconds I jumped up and took off. I’d had a few drinks but was probably not over the legal limit, but no sense sticking around to find out even though the car blatantly cut me off.

Making DUI on a bicycle the same offense as DUI in a car is insane and erodes respect for the justice $y$tem in general. I’m an avid cyclist and not just to and from bars (that’s ancient history), so I know how much more hyper-aware of traffic I am while on a bike compared to driving a car (being hit a few times helps). From personal experience I’ve seen that there’s no way in hell that drunk cyclists are anywhere near the kind of threat to the public that drunk drivers are, and citing the unlikely scenario of a drunk cyclist weaving into traffic and causing an accident is no more or less likely than the same drunk person weaving their car into another lane and doing the same. Or better yet, consider the probable damage and injury caused by a drunk cyclist weaving into a lane of traffic vs. a drunk driver weaving onto a sidewalk.

]]> By: Justin http://www.duiblog.com/2008/07/24/drunk-biking/comment-page-1/#comment-1436 Justin Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:27:48 +0000 http://www.duiblog.com/?p=742#comment-1436 Using the same logic -- anyone who is taking medication and operating a bicycle should then follow the same proceedings as a DWI... as well as anyone walking who has taken medication that "may" impair motor skills would also be subject to a DWI by the same logic. Also anyone who is crazy and has Alzheimer's who wanders around should also be subject to DWI -- they are impaired after all. Same with those with genetic disorders like down syndrome. They are all mentally impaired and therefore able to cause death to themselves and others walking on the sidewalk and maybe having the possibility of going out into the street. The same could be said of the blind or handicap. Of course anyone operating any manual-machinery of any type whether it be a skate board, or a set of roller blades, or even those shoes with wheels in the back heel, has the chance to cause an accident by this same logic. I can understand "drunk in public" but not DWI. Sometimes laws reach to far and police use to little sense with their ridiculous discretion. Using the same logic — anyone who is taking medication and operating a bicycle should then follow the same proceedings as a DWI… as well as anyone walking who has taken medication that “may” impair motor skills would also be subject to a DWI by the same logic.
Also anyone who is crazy and has Alzheimer’s who wanders around should also be subject to DWI — they are impaired after all. Same with those with genetic disorders like down syndrome. They are all mentally impaired and therefore able to cause death to themselves and others walking on the sidewalk and maybe having the possibility of going out into the street. The same could be said of the blind or handicap.
Of course anyone operating any manual-machinery of any type whether it be a skate board, or a set of roller blades, or even those shoes with wheels in the back heel, has the chance to cause an accident by this same logic.
I can understand “drunk in public” but not DWI.
Sometimes laws reach to far and police use to little sense with their ridiculous discretion.

]]> By: koivisto http://www.duiblog.com/2008/07/24/drunk-biking/comment-page-1/#comment-1433 koivisto Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:05:14 +0000 http://www.duiblog.com/?p=742#comment-1433 I see a problem here. Using your logic then walking drunk applies too. What would happen if a person walked onto a roadway and someone swerved off the roadway? The line needs to be drawn somewhere and we are going way off course. And for that matter what if the driver or bicyclist was not drunk and made someone go off the road, they get a free pass? Or at best a 75$ ticket that causes harm or death, due to stupidity? I see, alcohol is the root cause of evil men and evil ways. I see a problem here. Using your logic then walking drunk applies too. What would happen if a person walked onto a roadway and someone swerved off the roadway? The line needs to be drawn somewhere and we are going way off course. And for that matter what if the driver or bicyclist was not drunk and made someone go off the road, they get a free pass? Or at best a 75$ ticket that causes harm or death, due to stupidity? I see, alcohol is the root cause of evil men and evil ways.

]]> By: llDayo http://www.duiblog.com/2008/07/24/drunk-biking/comment-page-1/#comment-1430 llDayo Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:12:54 +0000 http://www.duiblog.com/?p=742#comment-1430 I don't see a problem here. Bicyclists are subject to the same rules of the road as motor vehicles pretty much everywhere in the U.S. Why would alcohol laws be different? What would happen if he had weaved into the path of a car only to cause that car to dodge him and fly off the road? Unless there's more to this story, I don't think this one's a problem. I don’t see a problem here. Bicyclists are subject to the same rules of the road as motor vehicles pretty much everywhere in the U.S. Why would alcohol laws be different? What would happen if he had weaved into the path of a car only to cause that car to dodge him and fly off the road? Unless there’s more to this story, I don’t think this one’s a problem.

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