I intensely dislike people who drink and drive

[krafty]

The story: A week ago Saturday (Dec. 7) my wife Lisa and I were on our way home from dinner and an evening showing of Harry Potter. About 2 miles from our house, a... uh... young man who had a few too many blew a stopsign in his Explorer and slammed into us. Fortunately for him, he blew a .07 on the PBT and only got a Reckless Driving charge. WE got a trip to the hospital in an ambulance (whee!) and now have to shop for a new car. Our car was totalled by the insurance company. It's hard to see in the pictures, but the whole body was twisted. Damage was estimated at over 12 grand, and they couldn't even get the hood open to check the engine for additional damage!

Fortunately for us, both my wife and I are OK. Still bruised and sore, but quick reaction by me on the brakes kept him from hitting us farther back on our car. 3 feet further back and I have a feeling my wife would still be in the hospital.

The worst part was, this had been the first night out of the house for my wife since she had her gall bladder out a week previous.

The moral of the story: Remember, it's bad to drink and drive. You can hurt yourself as well as others. And if you drink and drive, I'll have to add you to my "people I extremely dislike" list.

[krafty]

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[krafty]

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[shartley]

Glad to hear you are alright.

Drinking and driving is a serious problem. I can tell you more than a few stories about scraping young folks off the highway…. drunks themselves and their victims. And drunks come in every shape and size, sex, age, and income level. Vehicles can be dangerous enough by themselves… they don’t mix with alcohol!

[Remington]

What a jerk. I can't stand people that do stupid things like that. And what really irritates me is that they're too drunk to realize what they're doing so they get in a car and try to drive home but they can't because of the stupid alcohol built up in their system. Then, they get in a car accident and some innocent person gets THEIR car totalled and end up having to pay for it. Anyway. Glad to hear you and your wife are okay. How was Harry Potter? ;)

[TooDamnSweet]

I'm glad that you and your wife are okay! I hope this guy learns his lesson!

[EsPo]

my friend died last year, the dude was on morphine, and had drank heavily earlier before:(

[obsolete898]

I'm glad you and your wife are ok.

I'm sorry that happened to you, but he wasn't DWI or DUI unless he is .08.

I don't want to sound out of line when this just happened to you but ranting about being hit be a drunk driver and saying his BA was only .07 is kinda funny. Not only was he not at or over the legal limit but he was probaly able to function perfectly fine. Now granted he probaly was an idiot, but he wasn't drunk.

Drinking 1 or 2 beers will put a normal person right around that area, depending on the situation. I know after drinking a 1 or 2 beers I'm perfectly able to drive.

Also if you've ever gotten pretty drunk one night and then drove somewhere the next morning then you would've probally blown .07 or higher.

Once again I'm sorry that happened to you and I'm glad both of you are not seriously hurt.

[Thordic]

I have to agree with obsolete. Even if the accident was his fault, which you said it was, blaming it on drunk driving is a mistake.

While I sympathize with anyone who is the victim of a bad driver, a .07 is NOT drunk, not even by legal standards. Legally drunk is the point where alcohol starts to inhibit your ability to drive. Most people can still function fine above the LEGAL limit, just with slower reflexes, hence the law.

Having a beer or two and then driving home is FAR from drunk driving, and the guy who hit you shouldn't be villianized for drunk driving, regardless of his SOBER driving abilities, or lack thereof.

[Xerces]

glad to hear everyone is ok.
when you buy your new car, look into frame strength and safety features. buy american.

[personman]

That little biznatch!
Im going to try my best to be strait edge..
Yeap..
I'm glad you're ok and sorry to hear about the car :(

[krafty]

Originally posted by Thordic
I have to agree with obsolete. Even if the accident was his fault, which you said it was, blaming it on drunk driving is a mistake.

I didn't blame it on drunk driving. I blamed it on drinking and driving. And the police officers on the scene were in agreement that it had affected his ability to drive. The intersection was lighted, the stopsign was clearly visible, and he was familiar with the area as he lived nearby. There were no skidmarks to confirm it, but witnesses put him well over the speed limit as well. He didn't even brake. Any alcohol in your system impairs your reaction times and his statements to the police about seeing the stopsign too late confirm this. The penalty for reckless driving in Michigan is up to 90 days in jail, and I hope he gets it.

I do feel bad for whoever's car it was he was driving. It wasn't his. And it was totalled, too.

Remington,
It was pretty darn good!

[SqueegeeKid]

Drinking and driving is pathetic and there is no excuse for it.

From what i'm told (by many anti-drinking and driving ads and police officers) alcohol starts to inhibit your ability to do anything once it enters your system. 1, 2, 20 beers, it doesn't matter.

Alcohol lets you function but with slower reflexes? Maybe those quicker reflexes would have helped that moron see that stop sign. Maybe i'm a retard but i think drinking and driving under ANY circumstances is beyond comprehension. I hope that jackass gets the full extent of the law.

Sorry to hear about your vehicle, but i'm glad to hear you're alright.

[DaosBeoulve]

I'm glad you and your wife are okay.

I got hit by a drunk driver this past summer. I know the stress and trauma involved.

Good luck with everything.


I absolutely abhor drunk drivers... (I had a lot written up about them, but it basically boils down to that simple sentence. Drunk driving is one of the few things that can make me absolutely rant and rave.)

edit--But after reading a few of these other posts, I am gonna post some more. The limit is set to .08 because that is the average limit at which people start becoming impaired enough that it would hinder their driving. What's the key word out of that sentence? Average. That doesn't mean that EVERYONE is unaffected by alcohol until they hit .08 Some people with BAC of .06 don't even know which way is up or down, while some with BAC as high as .09 can seemingly still function normally.

Sure, the guy slipped through a crack in the legal system. Do any of you arguing from the legal standpoint understand alcohol's effects on the brain? Any amount of alcohol starts those effects. It's when your BAC reaches ~.08 that those effects become obvious. I have absolutely no respect for anyone that gets in a vehicle after having even half a beer. They shouldn't be driving.

Driving is a privelege, however, driving on safe roads is a right.

When the police finally catch up with the drunk that hit me (oh yeah, he ran did I mention that?), I'm going to make sure he finances me for at least a couple of years, replaces my car, and goes to jail for just as long as possible.

It honestly sickens me that you guys came in posting in defense of the sorry piece of crap that hit krafty and his wife.

[Army]

Originally posted by obsolete898
I don't want to sound out of line when this just happened to you but ranting about being hit be a drunk driver and saying his BA was only .07 is kinda funny. Not only was he not at or over the legal limit but he was probaly able to function perfectly fine. Now granted he probaly was an idiot, but he wasn't drunk.

The FACT that he had alcohol in his bloodstream, proves that he had been drinking. The FACT that he only blew .07, means that by legal standards only he was not "drunk". The FACT that he ran a stop sign, hit their car, and told Police officers that he didn't see a known local stop sign, proves that he was impaired to the point that he could not operate a vehicle safely.

Your drunk, reality drunk, and legal drunk, are all different. Just because you blow .01 under legal limit, doesn't mean your body/brain can handle liquor. Some people may not show drunkeness despite being far above the legal limit, some are wasted on 1 beer.

I was on the Jury for a 2nd degree murder trial, of a guy who had been drinking all morning, rear-ended a station wagon, and killed a 4 year old girl. Yes, I am terribly biased against drunk drivers, at ANY blood level. You would be too, if you saw the horrific pictures of that little girl...and should also be after reading Krafty's post. A stupid driver, combined with alcohol, makes for an accident looking for a victim.

[Mango]

I am very VERY glad that you and your wife are ok!

I'm with Army 100% There is no excuse to put others in danger like that. If I go out there is always a designated driver with the group. Usually I hand my keys over to the DD if I'm at a friends house for a party.

[boss_automager]

glad you're okay

a few months ago i read in the newspaper that some guy in Chicago had had alot of marawana (sp) while he was driving a van full of preschoolers from a school near there and crashed and killed everyone. drinking or taking anything else thats bad for you and then driving is incredibly stupid.

glad that you and your wife are alright.

hey i'm over a hundred posts! i've only been on here for two months all the other time either the computer was broke or the internet was screwed up.

[71 LS6]

Good to hear that you're both OK

I cannot stand drinking and driving. Personally, I think the punishment should be more severe. My father was a passenger in a DWI accident in 1980, in which he broke his C5 vertebrae, the only bone that he has ever broken. He spent 7 months in Strng Hospital, and was told that he would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He was 25 years old, and loved playing soccer. You can imagine how this news would make someone feel. However, he was soon out of the wheelchair, but he still walks with a cane, and can't go for great distances. He has no control over his left hand, and his tricep i almost useless. He cannot sweat below the forehead, or feel temperature, only severe pain in his back and legs. For 22 years. The driver also broke his neck, but there was no spinal cord damage. He was healed in a couple of months, and did not face any jail time. After living with my father, I would have to have some serious problems to not condone drinking and driving. There is absolutely no excuse for it. :mad:

[RetroEclipseMan]

Glad to hear you guys are all right.

I think that there needs to be some more serious penalties for driving under the influence. I know Washington is trying to crack down on it more by putting special units out to specifically bust drunk drivers. I still think there needs to be improvements though. For example i stopped by this party where a bunch of people were drinking(all underage) and they all had cars. I myself wasn't drinking since I knew I had to drive. Well it got outta hand and the cops showed up.All they did was make everyone who wasn't of age leave immediately. Well guess what everyone there that wasn't of age all got behind the wheel to get out of there. I think that's just poor judgement on the cops. I mean if they made everyone leave it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that these kids were gonna drive home. Right there they just allowed a ton of kids out on the road drunk. I mean I only got a little GTi that holds 3 other people so i took a few people home and came back for more but everyone was already gone. I just couldn't believe it.

[RPK]

wow, I'm glad to hear you and your wife are ok... In 1990 I was in a car accident, we were hit by a drunk driver. We were in a really old jeep, that didn't have seatbelts or doors... My mom got flung out and rolled (head over tail) through an intersection, almost got ran over. My brother walked away with nothing, and I have had back problems ever since... We all survived which was the important thing, and the money we got was divided up between all of us, so it was ok...

RPK

[Ov3rmind]

Glad to hear you're alright krafty. I'm going to agree whole heartedly with everyone else hear, drinking and driving is a serious and frightening problem in this country. It's totally irresponsible and dangerous, no one has the right to drive on the road while under the influence.

[TransMan]

Sorry to hear bout it but atleast no one was seriously hurt. You could always move to KY our limit is .02 like half a beer. It most likely impaired his judgment but i would say that the biggest prob was that he is an Idiot.

[FooTemps]

Glad to hear that you 2 are okay. I hope you don't get into another run-in like that...

[Timmee]

Glad to hear that you're ok. I agree that there needs to be tougher laws in place for impaired driving. I also feel that the legal limit needs to be lowered. I feel that I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum. If I need to drive somewhere in the next 8 hours, I don't drink.

BTW, when I talk about impaired driving, I'm referring to any substance induced impairment. I also feel there should be some form of punishment for people that fall asleep behind the wheel, because they are as dangerous as drunk drivers. I was involved in an accident on Thanksgiving because an 18 year old girl fell asleep behind the wheel, and crossed into my lane, hitting me head on. Regardless of the fact that my roommate and I had our seatbelts on, it could have been much worse.

Again, glad to hear that you're ok Krafty, and trust me when I say that I know the hassle you're going through right now.