DUI troubles in Las Vegas

[Texsox]

You could say that about any fine that the courts impose. It all generates income and there are ways to make people pay. The anti-DUI lobby is strong and gets stronger everytime someone is killed by a drunk driver.

 

I will agree fines should be lower and jail time longer.

[iamshack]

You could say that about any fine that the courts impose. It all generates income and there are ways to make people pay. The anti-DUI lobby is strong and gets stronger everytime someone is killed by a drunk driver.

 

I will agree fines should be lower and jail time longer.

Compare the fines of other misdemeanors and felonies to those imposed by the system in place that they put DUI offenders through...ask a DUI lawyer in Illinois how much money a DUI is going to cost as opposed to other more serious crimes.

[Texsox]

Compare the fines of other misdemeanors and felonies to those imposed by the system in place that they put DUI offenders through...ask a DUI lawyer in Illinois how much money a DUI is going to cost as opposed to other more serious crimes.

 

 

And look at jail time compared. Too little jail time for DUIs. People are buying their way out of jail.

[Reddy]

My problem with the whole DUI thing is that we encourage and enable this result by revolving so much of our society around alcohol, and then we seem shocked that these people actually get in their cars and try to get back home again when they are finished.

 

Then, the municipalities and states bend these people over as if they are murderers and rapists to try and extract as much cash as possible in order to make up for other shortfalls in their budgets.

 

The entire process is extraordinarily punitive without doing s*** to actually try and address the root cause of the problem.

 

watch out y'all - i'm about to say something all the conservatives on this board will agree with.

 

personal f***ing responsibility. it's not the governments job to say "stop advertising alcohol, stop trying to sell your products" and it's not the governments job to babysit full grown adults. make your own damn decisions and pay for them.

[iamshack]

watch out y'all - i'm about to say something all the conservatives on this board will agree with.

 

personal f***ing responsibility. it's not the governments job to say "stop advertising alcohol, stop trying to sell your products" and it's not the governments job to babysit full grown adults. make your own damn decisions and pay for them.

Yeah, that is the tough-guy way to say it...unfortunately, it doesn't actually achieve anything.

 

You can't say "Support our local community businesses...which revolve around you leaving your home and drinking alcohol at our establishments, meanwhile not having the infrastructure to support such behavior, and then sticking it to that person to make up for your other s***ty budgetary shortfalls.

 

It is really easy for you to say this, Reddy, because you live in New York, where there are an abundance of cabs and trains to take if you've been out. Trying living in a non-metropolitan area.

 

Don't mistake my position as advocating or tolerating DUI, because I don't.

[greg775]

All I know is my brother got a DUI (BAC .18 blood test) in CO and it will not be fun on first offense. He's already lost $10k paying for random BS related to the case. Before he is allowed to have permit to drive to work, he has to be completely driving-free for at least 30 days. I am going to move in with him to drive him to work so he doesn't lose his job. Also has to have a breathalyzer in the car for 3 years (not free!) He isn't even out of the woods yet for jail time.

 

I can't even imagine how much a pain in the ass 3 would be. Might as well just quit and reevaluate your life. I know my brother keeps thinking about how many thousands each beer he drank that night cost him...I can't imagine someone who isn't dealing with a serious addiction could repeat offend.

 

My favorite thing that my brother has had to pay for is for the paramedic they dispatched when he was pulled over. Since he blew a high number on breathalyzer, they decided to take him to a hospital. Paramedic may not have even left the garage, but still $1200 bill for that.

 

1.) Man, what a story. Ten thousand bucks already? That's amazing.

2.) Having DUI checkpoints and seeing what friends have gone through a long time ago made me not even have one drink on nights I'm driving. Just not worth it. I have driven with people who probaly woulda got a DUI if pulled over, however. Can they throw you in jail as well for being a passenger with somebody who gets pulled over for obvious DUI? Pretty stupid of me to drive with somebody drinking. I haven't done that in at least 5 years, however.

I'm thinking my friend got off pretty light the other times and this one could be the hammer on his head.

Edited May 23, 2012 by greg775

[LittleHurt05]

And look at jail time compared. Too little jail time for DUIs. People are buying their way out of jail.

 

This is a huge problem IMO. If the potential penalty for a DUI was a mandatory six years in prison, instead of just a mandatory loss of driving privilges for six months, people might think twice about it. Considering how many people lose their lives due to drunk driving, the penalties really should be stiffer.

[G&T]

Yeah, that is the tough-guy way to say it...unfortunately, it doesn't actually achieve anything.

 

You can't say "Support our local community businesses...which revolve around you leaving your home and drinking alcohol at our establishments, meanwhile not having the infrastructure to support such behavior, and then sticking it to that person to make up for your other s***ty budgetary shortfalls.

 

It is really easy for you to say this, Reddy, because you live in New York, where there are an abundance of cabs and trains to take if you've been out. Trying living in a non-metropolitan area.

 

Don't mistake my position as advocating or tolerating DUI, because I don't.

 

People using resources should be paying for the resources.

 

First, there are plenty of court impose rehabs. There really isn't much else the government can do.

 

Second, getting a cab is perfectly possible for almost everyone. I've lived in places were cabs are hard to get, and those that are around aren't regulated. But they exist and I've used them for weddings, parties, etc. and so did everyone else that attended. Oh, and if you live in a place with no cabs, how many cops do you think are waiting to pull people over? Probably none.

 

Third, and probably most important to your point, is that our society is one of the few that revolves around drinking at home more so than in public. I drink a lot. More than most people in this country, but I primarily do it at home. If I want to go out, I don't drink much.

 

Fourth, a .08 isn't as easy to hit as you think. It would probably take 3-4 glasses of wine for an average male to hit the limit. The government is plenty lenient in allowing you to go out and partake and get home safely.

[greg775]

People using resources should be paying for the resources.

 

First, there are plenty of court impose rehabs. There really isn't much else the government can do.

 

Second, getting a cab is perfectly possible for almost everyone. I've lived in places were cabs are hard to get, and those that are around aren't regulated. But they exist and I've used them for weddings, parties, etc. and so did everyone else that attended. Oh, and if you live in a place with no cabs, how many cops do you think are waiting to pull people over? Probably none.

 

Third, and probably most important to your point, is that our society is one of the few that revolves around drinking at home more so than in public. I drink a lot. More than most people in this country, but I primarily do it at home. If I want to go out, I don't drink much.

 

Fourth, a .08 isn't as easy to hit as you think. It would probably take 3-4 glasses of wine for an average male to hit the limit. The government is plenty lenient in allowing you to go out and partake and get home safely.

 

How many beers, though?

Two?

If you go watch a game and have four beers in a 2.5 hour span you'll get nailed and four beers isn't really a lot.

I just don't have any if I'm driving. Can't risk it.

[Jenksismyhero]

watch out y'all - i'm about to say something all the conservatives on this board will agree with.

 

personal f***ing responsibility. it's not the governments job to say "stop advertising alcohol, stop trying to sell your products" and it's not the governments job to babysit full grown adults. make your own damn decisions and pay for them.

 

Welcome to the light!

 

Why doesn't this same mentality work for something like pregnancy or drug use? If you choose to do it, deal with the consequences....not societies responsibility to pay for it...

[Jenksismyhero]

People using resources should be paying for the resources.

 

First, there are plenty of court impose rehabs. There really isn't much else the government can do.

 

Second, getting a cab is perfectly possible for almost everyone. I've lived in places were cabs are hard to get, and those that are around aren't regulated. But they exist and I've used them for weddings, parties, etc. and so did everyone else that attended. Oh, and if you live in a place with no cabs, how many cops do you think are waiting to pull people over? Probably none.

 

Third, and probably most important to your point, is that our society is one of the few that revolves around drinking at home more so than in public. I drink a lot. More than most people in this country, but I primarily do it at home. If I want to go out, I don't drink much.

 

Fourth, a .08 isn't as easy to hit as you think. It would probably take 3-4 glasses of wine for an average male to hit the limit. The government is plenty lenient in allowing you to go out and partake and get home safely.

 

Agreed. My buddy bought a breathalyzer as a semi-joke once (and to check himself before getting behind the wheel) and I have been pretty tipsy before while only blowing a .05-.06. As the bad but true ads go - buzzed driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving.

[Balta1701]

Welcome to the light!

 

Why doesn't this same mentality work for something like pregnancy or drug use? If you choose to do it, deal with the consequences....not societies responsibility to pay for it...

(Of course, if society were to choose to provide better public transportation options, then people like me who would like to have a few drinks at a restaurant but still be able to get home would be likely to purchase more products at those establishments as there was a safe path home, thus providing a significant boost to that sector of the local economy, and the failure to do so thus is a negative impact on those businesses, on the local economy, and on tax revenues in general)

[Texsox]

Yeah, that is the tough-guy way to say it...unfortunately, it doesn't actually achieve anything.

 

You can't say "Support our local community businesses...which revolve around you leaving your home and drinking alcohol at our establishments, meanwhile not having the infrastructure to support such behavior, and then sticking it to that person to make up for your other s***ty budgetary shortfalls.

 

It is really easy for you to say this, Reddy, because you live in New York, where there are an abundance of cabs and trains to take if you've been out. Trying living in a non-metropolitan area.

 

Don't mistake my position as advocating or tolerating DUI, because I don't.

 

No one is advertising drink to excess and drive yourself. Laws have restricted advertising of alcohol. Bars have had restrictions on happy hour drinks. Why should there be any infrastructure for being drinking too much? Know when to say when. Have a designated driver. Don't order six drinks. And society has offered a ton of warnings and deterents. I believe you would have a better case if DUI was cheap. That would be society saying hey it's no big deal. Instead the penalties are plastered on bill boards and everyone knows.

[iamshack]

People using resources should be paying for the resources.

 

First, there are plenty of court impose rehabs. There really isn't much else the government can do.

 

Second, getting a cab is perfectly possible for almost everyone. I've lived in places were cabs are hard to get, and those that are around aren't regulated. But they exist and I've used them for weddings, parties, etc. and so did everyone else that attended. Oh, and if you live in a place with no cabs, how many cops do you think are waiting to pull people over? Probably none.

 

Third, and probably most important to your point, is that our society is one of the few that revolves around drinking at home more so than in public. I drink a lot. More than most people in this country, but I primarily do it at home. If I want to go out, I don't drink much.

 

Fourth, a .08 isn't as easy to hit as you think. It would probably take 3-4 glasses of wine for an average male to hit the limit. The government is plenty lenient in allowing you to go out and partake and get home safely.

Those are not rehab programs, they are basically a video tape and forms to fill out...

 

Second, I disagree...unless you are willing to pay $50-100 in many instances, in which case people wouldn't choose to go out in the first place and our local businesses would go belly-up even more. And to your cops point, I flat-out disagree. The focus of municipal police forces has changed from getting impaired driver's home safely to using DUI offenders as an atm card.

 

Third, many people drink at home because of the size of this country and the lack of mass transportation in most areas. People are spread out all over the place, unlike much of Europe, for instance. I agree people should use better judgement when going out.

 

Fourth, .08 is pretty easy to hit...there wouldn't be so many people with DUIs if it wasn't. The percentage of adults in this country who now have a DUI on their record is rising at a staggering rate. I believe I saw some 30% of US drivers have a DUI conviction...

 

Third

[iamshack]

(Of course, if society were to choose to provide better public transportation options, then people like me who would like to have a few drinks at a restaurant but still be able to get home would be likely to purchase more products at those establishments as there was a safe path home, thus providing a significant boost to that sector of the local economy, and the failure to do so thus is a negative impact on those businesses, on the local economy, and on tax revenues in general)

This, or perhaps the municipalities could offer more options, or the drinking establishment itself.

 

 

[iamshack]

No one is advertising drink to excess and drive yourself. Laws have restricted advertising of alcohol. Bars have had restrictions on happy hour drinks. Why should there be any infrastructure for being drinking too much? Know when to say when. Have a designated driver. Don't order six drinks. And society has offered a ton of warnings and deterents. I believe you would have a better case if DUI was cheap. That would be society saying hey it's no big deal. Instead the penalties are plastered on bill boards and everyone knows.

And these are all for the most part ineffective.

 

The issue is, many people make the incorrect decision once they begin drinking. You're asking someone to make a responsible decision once they are already impaired. It's just not going to happen a lot of the time.

 

 

[Jenksismyhero]

(Of course, if society were to choose to provide better public transportation options, then people like me who would like to have a few drinks at a restaurant but still be able to get home would be likely to purchase more products at those establishments as there was a safe path home, thus providing a significant boost to that sector of the local economy, and the failure to do so thus is a negative impact on those businesses, on the local economy, and on tax revenues in general)

 

Yeah, because for the majority of American cities a massive public transit system is financially feasible.

 

Also, I'd imagine you can look at the numbers and find that Chicago has quite a number of DUI offenders out there. I'd say the City does a pretty good job providing public transit to just about anywhere you want to go. Having a system in place isn't stopping people from drinking and driving.

[Balta1701]

Yeah, because for the majority of American cities a massive public transit system is financially feasible.

 

Also, I'd imagine you can look at the numbers and find that Chicago has quite a number of DUI offenders out there. I'd say the City does a pretty good job providing public transit to just about anywhere you want to go. Having a system in place isn't stopping people from drinking and driving.

Actually, most cities have some level of public transportation systems, they just don't do them very well, and they absolutely don't work well enough with local establishments to make public transit home from a restaurant/bar a legit, reasonable option.

[Jenksismyhero]

No one is advertising drink to excess and drive yourself. Laws have restricted advertising of alcohol. Bars have had restrictions on happy hour drinks. Why should there be any infrastructure for being drinking too much? Know when to say when. Have a designated driver. Don't order six drinks. And society has offered a ton of warnings and deterents. I believe you would have a better case if DUI was cheap. That would be society saying hey it's no big deal. Instead the penalties are plastered on bill boards and everyone knows.

 

Have you watched a sporting event in the last 20 years? Most of the ads are for alcohol, and most are showing a group of people at one place enjoying said alcohol. Advertising is absolutely part of the problem here. Drinking is now a requirement to having a good time apparently.

[iamshack]

Yeah, because for the majority of American cities a massive public transit system is financially feasible.

 

Also, I'd imagine you can look at the numbers and find that Chicago has quite a number of DUI offenders out there. I'd say the City does a pretty good job providing public transit to just about anywhere you want to go. Having a system in place isn't stopping people from drinking and driving.

Chicago is actually the 19th worst offending city, so I think the public transportation does help.

 

Or maybe Chicago is just very poor at enforcing them.

Edited May 23, 2012 by iamshack

[Jenksismyhero]

Actually, most cities have some level of public transportation systems, they just don't do them very well, and they absolutely don't work well enough with local establishments to make public transit home from a restaurant/bar a legit, reasonable option.

 

You are ignoring geographic realities. Having a few bus routes to take you to/from certain dense hubs (i.e. apt complexes to commercial strips) doesn't really help if your town is 90% neighborhoods. It's practically impossible in rural towns.

[Jenksismyhero]

Chicago is actually the 19th worst offending city, so I think the public transportation does help.

 

Not arguing it wouldn't help, but it won't solve it either.

[greg775]

Have you watched a sporting event in the last 20 years? Most of the ads are for alcohol, and most are showing a group of people at one place enjoying said alcohol. Advertising is absolutely part of the problem here. Drinking is now a requirement to having a good time apparently.

 

How many beers do you generally have if you are at a game at the Cell?

If you leave right after the game and drive, would you be over the limit?

[iamshack]

You are ignoring geographic realities. Having a few bus routes to take you to/from certain dense hubs (i.e. apt complexes to commercial strips) doesn't really help if your town is 90% neighborhoods. It's practically impossible in rural towns.

In many of these rural areas, there are like 4 total streets.

 

The bars could pay a driver to take people home when the bar closes or something.

 

The cops, who otherwise are sleeping probably, could also shoulder some of this burden.

[Jenksismyhero]

How many beers do you generally have if you are at a game at the Cell?

If you leave right after the game and drive, would you be over the limit?

 

4-5, but my wifey drives me home