Too bad I caught this thread so late in the game, so bear with the multi-quotes.
Here's a good contoversial topic for a nice Sunday debate.
What's your states BAC limit? (.08 in SD)
Is that limit appropriate?
Are penalties appropriate?
I don't know the proper BAC limit, a lot of it is political pandering to groups like MADD..used to be higher. I don't disagree with the limits, my wife with one drink gets stupid giggly and says she's drunk and hangs off me..I can drink a six pack and be ok. Unfortunatly you gotta make a mass effect rule and put it somewhere. Can't exactly tell "Joe" he's goot for .15 while "Sam" can only have .05 eh?
Co is .08 too low!
penalties are to high.
the reason they lowered it is because federal government made them do it or they would have lost highway funding.
If they REALLY wanted to end drinking and driving all they need to do is have every one install a mandated interlock system on their vehicles (breathalizer) BUT that will NEVER happen because why?
wait for it.....................
REVENUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They depend on that money, state, county and local law enforcement need the money!
Bullchit on the revenue, sure some cops are badge heavy and some depts push for quotas as a way of collecting stats. It's also to keep cops pushing for them and not letting them off easy, cause its easy.. Some cops may have had a close to home tradegy and have NO tolerence. Perhaps the next cop is a drinker himself and "understands" eh?
I've voiced my opinion about it being all about revenue before & got a lot of angry comments for it, but it's a fact.
& since I quit drinking, I don't have to worry about it anymore.
good on ya!
for staying on the wagon
I agree to a point.
My gripe is that it is not a black & white issue. TRUE DAT
There are infinite levels of sobriety (or drunkeness).
The guy who had 2-3 beers is on a whole different level than the guy who drives
home because he's too drunk to walk.
Yet the law treats it as black & white, or drunk & sober. How could you do it anyother way? (without individule testing at massive $$$)
Many of you have no idea what small town America really is either. A LOT of us are small town, hence the Obama support eh?
Like it or not, if you want to socialize in a community of less than 2000 people,
you go to the bar. That's really about the size of it.
Of course communities of this size have no taxi service, so drinking & driving
happens.....all of the time.
For the most part, the local law enforcement (city cops) respect this reality,
and only pull you over if you're breaking a traffic law.
But the state highway patrol use the bars as easy picking to meet their quotas.
It's like shooting fish in a barrel.
They have no respect for the fact that these businesses are members of our
economic community & vital employers as well.
Every time our area gets a new (read:young) state trooper, the bars revenues
drop until the fella get's the big picture & backs off a bit.
Ok, so you just discribed my small town...still I have a story..It involves a drunk guy from the local bar, a woman and her three girls...It ended badly for the mother and all 3 girls. Wanna hear the grizzly details? I won't tell em, it messed up a friend of mine so bad he quit being a cop couldn't get the image of the little girl under the car out of his head.
I will tell you my opinion. Yes East you have a point...I don't know about the revenue thing....that is too much conspiracy theory I think. Ya! But, I do know many cops that circle the bars to try to get DUI arrests. That bugs me. I have told them I have a problem with that. Most of them are gunning for something...most arrests for the month...promotions, whatever. I hear the revenue thing all the time....cops aren't driven by that, at least the ones I know. Well I do know many state troopers in various states do have to meet quotas.....so there may be some truth to the revenue thing.
Who knows what the appropiate intoxication level should be. Everyone's tolerance level is different. I have dealt with people that were .30 and over that were completely functional. If you can't pass the field sobriety test then you are too messed up to drive.
Like I said I have a problem with the cops fishing for DUI arrests....but on the other side I have a real problem with douches hurting people with a lethal weapon (a vehicle). I have seen too many deaths caused by it. I was almost hit one night when I was making an arrest in a parking lot. I had to push the guy I was arresting out of the way and I had to jump.....the drunk POS then hit a dumpster totaling his car. He was bleeding and crying.
The problem with DUI's is it is always going to be very subjective. I can agree to not hammer the first offense when some person makes a mistake. When it happens again and again....the hammer should come out!
MPS has it down, and its a small wonder considering his exposure eh?
OMHO on this subject? There is no fair way to do it, I don't like to hear about the dude in the back of the truck sleeping it off or getting a DUI on a lawnmower or skateboard that is BULLCHIT I say.
I'm not against the .08 limit, but there needs to be some compassion and ****in COMMEN SCENCE in the enforcing of laws. Unfortunatly there is none, and if you do have commen scence your never going to get high enough up the chain to make a bit of difference. Too much is officer discresion, but then you give em discression and they fug you with it.
I can't see a meaninful change come of any of this, moral of the story is don't ****in drink and drive! (or pass out on the side of the road with keys in pocket)
