Comments on: Easing of drunken driving laws proposed in Ireland

By: JontKopeck

JontKopeck — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 12:44:00 +0000

Taxi for County Kerry, taxi!

By: Sirkowski

Sirkowski — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 04:21:00 +0000

I remember reading a libertarian article on LewRockwell stating that DUI laws were a thought crime, since no crime had been committed yet. Jeez…

By: fuzzyfuzzyfungus

fuzzyfuzzyfungus — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:40:00 +0000

In as much fairness as possible to his basically dumb position, he isn’t proposing that booze will lift the mood of rural Ireland; but that pub culture(which includes booze; but also music, social activity, companionship, and other things that aren’t ‘going slowly mad in your horrid hovel in the Irish sticks’) will lift the mood of rural Ireland; but is threatened by the fact that it is legally and practically difficult to get home after you’ve had a few pints if the DUI laws are strict and cabs and subways aren’t exactly in boundless supply…

It doesn’t make driving drunk any safer; but the idea that socially-codified community activity with a side of ethanol is less depressing than isolation is far more plausible than the idea that ethanol is an anti-depressant.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:33:00 +0000

What made it particularly stupid is that he’s suggesting that it will alleviate the depression which is apparently intrinsic to living in rural Ireland. He seems unaware that ethanol is a depressant.

By: ryuthrowsstuff

ryuthrowsstuff — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:25:00 +0000

Having grown up in a very rural area I can see why this might seem appealing. Without public transport or even cabs of any kind sometime you do end up stuck someplace after a few too many. I typically take the tactic of sleeping in my car, but that isn’t always safe or wise. And more than a few folks I know have been charged for sleeping it off in the car (you’re drunk in a car and you possess keys that’s often enough to charge you), biking home, riding a horse home, or trying to make it on a lawn mower or farm tractor. So a lot of people will simply risk it in those rare instances. So you start to think this sort of thing makes a bit of sense.

Then you remember the kind of deadly shit show the roads can already be as things currently stand and start to prefer the monorail option over making things any worse.

By: Itsumishi

Itsumishi — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:37:00 +0000

How rurals are these farms and maybe the Irish need to invest in some good old fashioned bicycles. Certainly my choice of transport for a night on the tiles.

By: dayhorse

dayhorse — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:22:00 +0000

They reckon the guy who proposed it did it more to boost his profile. He comes from a long line of rather eccentric politicians.
As a largely sober Irish human(surprising, I know…) And having listened to the radio in work all week. We all seem to agree. This guy and this proposal is bat guano insane. It does portray the nation in the best selling, most stereotypical manner though. Yay.
I propose a rural donkey for every drinker. They’ll bring you home safe and sound and help reinforce cartoon depictions for years to come!

By: Matthew Petty

Matthew Petty — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:26:00 +0000

I’ve heard there are places out in rural Britain where all the locals, including farmers and the local policeman, go to the pub and drink together. At the end of the night, the policeman leads them all driving slowly through the lanes, dropping each off one by one. (I assume the policeman doesn’t drink…)

By: Michael Smith

Michael Smith — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:58:00 +0000

There is not a linear relationship between driving ability across driving conditions and blood alcohol level.

By: pox

pox — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:54:00 +0000

I think if you can pass the driver’s test with some blood alcohol level, that should be your own personal limit, printed on your license. Or maybe we create drunk driving lanes, with bumpers like they use for little kids bowling.

By: Deidzoeb

Deidzoeb — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:37:00 +0000

Do they call it “Drink Driving”, or do they have an even cuter term in Ireland?

By: awjt

awjt — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:01:00 +0000

It’s a lot like Las Vegas in the wee hours. Be careful late at night there. You could be the only other driver on a road and if there are headlights wayyyy in the distance, they might smack right into you if you don’t take evasive action early and be suspicious the entire time they are passing. Vegas is downright DANGEROUS late at night. Watch out.