Consequences

[leon]

Well there ya go, one never quite knows all about a person, thanks for the share Col

Leon

[billdan (Bill)]

I am really angry about our so called justice system as revealed today on ABC news.

The sister of one of our Socceroo players was run over and killed by an unlicensed driver with an alcohol reading of 0.22 and he also had the drug ecstasy in his blood.

The judge sentenced him to 3 years and one month in prison backdated to the month of the accident (Jan 2019). With good behaviour he will probably walk free in 6 months time.

I tell you, if want to deliberately murder someone you don't like, just get drunk and run them over and you will get a minimum sentence.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-...crash/11931086

[Outcast (Carlton)]

Apologies to anyone who was offended by my language in my earlier post that made it through by judicious use of the keyboard to avoid the profanity filter.

I honestly mean that...

Though it was not my intent to cause offence I do realise, upon reflection that that's exactly what I did do & that subconsciously, I likely was, wilfully offensive.

I will endeavour not to do that again & work a little harder on my vocabulary to communicate my thoughts without unnecessary foul language.

I also apologise to the mods, who were required to clean up my post...

Please accept my humble apology

[Tropo-Bob (Bob)]

No worries Carlton. I do not think anyone was upset and it is an issue that can inflame high emotions.

I have been looking at the stats and Peter seems to be correct: Countries with lower Blood Acholol Limits do not appear to have better stats re accidents.

There is no low hanging fruit on how to fix this issue. Sad and frustrating really.

[JA]

Originally Posted by Tropo-Bob

No worries Carlton. I do not think anyone was upset and it is an issue that can inflame high emotions.

I have been looking at the stats and Peter seems to be correct: Countries with lower Blood Acholol Limits do not appear to have better stats re accidents.

There is no low hanging fruit on how to fix this issue. Sad and frustrating really.

True that. Alcohol interlocks (with ±facial recognition) on all vehicles, for example, would not exactly be low hanging fruit.

Best
JA

[bobson (Bob)]

I agree with majority of comments here. Considering statistics from other countries alcohol limits. I think education is the solution.

Back in 70's in Europe you would go 2 weeks to school to learn basics of car operation including how to check oil and coolant and change tyre. First aid course was included as well. You would have to pass theory test first and then do parallel parking test in one go!! No correction allowed! Then day driving test and if you pass then night driving test. If you fail either one of them you have to do all over again including theory test!
I remember my uncle passed all but forgot to turn lights on in night city driving and failed, he was so upset

Even after all this there will be idiots who will still go over the limits and kill innocent people.

Thanks for sharing your story Col!

cheers
bob

[Zuts]

We live in a democratic society where over time peoples views can change and over time laws can change to support those views if they are in the majority.

I worked for a year in Eungella QLD, early 90's. This is a small town over 100km West of Mackay and around 1000m up a winding rd at the top of a plateau. The first building you reach is the pub which has views over the valley and sits right at the edge of a cliff. During the tourist season many people come to enjoy the pub and rain forest up there. There are two exits from the pub. One goes directly back down the mountain and the other (The Crediton Loop) leads into the hinterland. This rd meanders for around 30 km through the forest and many locals live around it.

In summer the police put an RBT on the rd going down the mountain, never on the other rd. After the pub shuts, the doors are closed but any locals can if they wish hang around drinking until the publican decides he has had enough. He then kicks them out (maybe 2am) and they all get in their cars and drive to their homes scattered around the 30km Crediton Loop (there are no taxis and no public transport).

The police know this, but since they are locals as well and need to exist in the community do nothing.

My point is that what was 'acceptable' behaviour then is not now. Currently the limit is 0.05, in the future it may be 0.02, 0.01 or even zero. Regardless of how many people like to have one or two beers with dinner and then drive (I am one of them and would never drive over the limit) if views change then so will the laws.

[RyanJones]

Originally Posted by Peter Ward

The limit was 0.08 for a time. Now 0.05
I would not agree with 0.02....draconian Nanny state rubbish that penalizes
the many due an irresponsible few.

The alleged offender in this case was 0.15....WAY over the limit, and of course
at such levels is THE factor for this tragedy.

Being an irresponsible tool with likely lame consequences from his behavior are the problem....the government would rather fine people, than pay for their incarceration for 30 years.

Exactly !

Changing laws because of the minority is what we do and it is completely ineffective.

Reducing the speed limit from 80 to 60 because somebody killed a lady driving at 120 ? How does that stop the idiot doing 120 ?
Reducing the BAC to 0.02 because somebody killed somebody driving at 0.15 ? How will that change the person driving at 0.15 ?

1182 people died on our roads last year. A large percentage of those would have been sheer unfortunate accidents. That means approximately 99.995% of our population DIDNT DIE and DIDNT kill someone.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by Zuts

We live in a democratic society where over time peoples views can change and over time laws can change to support those views if they are in the majority.

I worked for a year in Eungella QLD, early 90's. This is a small town over 100km West of Mackay and around 1000m up a winding rd at the top of a plateau. The first building you reach is the pub which has views over the valley and sits right at the edge of a cliff. During the tourist season many people come to enjoy the pub and rain forest up there. There are two exits from the pub. One goes directly back down the mountain and the other (The Crediton Loop) leads into the hinterland. This rd meanders for around 30 km through the forest and many locals live around it.

In summer the police put an RBT on the rd going down the mountain, never on the other rd. After the pub shuts, the doors are closed but any locals can if they wish hang around drinking until the publican decides he has had enough. He then kicks them out (maybe 2am) and they all get in their cars and drive to their homes scattered around the 30km Crediton Loop (there are no taxis and no public transport).

The police know this, but since they are locals as well and need to exist in the community do nothing.

My point is that what was 'acceptable' behaviour then is not now. Currently the limit is 0.05, in the future it may be 0.02, 0.01 or even zero. Regardless of how many people like to have one or two beers with dinner and then drive (I am one of them and would never drive over the limit) if views change then so will the laws.

That's a funny anectode. So true times change. I remember in the 70s the French Gendarmes would park you on the side of the road for an hour before letting you go again if you were really incapable of driving your car. That was standard procedure. People are probably horrified to hear that nowadays. Doesn't make it right but that's how it was back then. I even heard a story around the north of Marseilles where a cop breathalizing a motorist needed help from the bloke he was checking because he himself had one too many and couldn't put the straw in the device. Another time in the same area a motorist actually stole the speed radar on the side of the road. Got flashed, back tracked, took it in his boot and took off. The cops were nearby in their cruiser having a nap. Embarrassing article in the local newspaper the day after

[Peter Ward]

Originally Posted by multiweb

..... took it in his boot and took off. The cops were nearby in their cruiser having a nap. Embarrassing article in the local newspaper the day after

Love it!

Possibly an urban myth.... but I had heard of some local lads distracting a mobile camera operator by asking lots of questions about how it worked...while a third mate clandestinely removed the rear number plate of the speed-camera vehicle.

They then affixed the plate to one of their cars and went past the camera several times, above the speed limit of course

[FlashDrive (Poppy)]

Originally Posted by Peter Ward

Love it!

They then affixed the plate to one of their cars and went past the camera several times, above the speed limit of course

Gold ....

[raymo]

My wife went for her driving test in a W.A. country town many years ago;
the cop came out and got in my wife's car, they went about 150 metres up the road and stopped so he could pop into a shop to buy some smokes. He got back in the car, instructed her to do a U turn, and went back to the cop shop; test over.
raymo

[leon]

Ah true Raymo that sort of thing happened a lot back in those early days.

Leon

[Gary47 (Gary)]

I am sure everyone over 60 has a story about how it used to be driving/getting a licence. When my Dearly Beloved turned 18 and went for her licence test she passed the Q&A and then was told by the sergeant of the small local police station that she didn't need to do the driving test because he had seen her driving around town for the last six months and he was satisfied that she was competent.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

My grandmother was driving before licenses came in. The local copper pulled her up one day, told her she now needed a license and took her to the cop shop and issued one. No testing whatsoever.


A neighbour's relative was a nun working on a remote settlement. Got her license from the local copper. When she came to Wollongong it came out that she had never put a car in reverse and couldn't drive backwards.


A student I used to know had once been living on a north coast commune. The local copper busted him just outside town one day for riding 3-up. It turned out he had unpaid fines and so was locked up until his partner could arrange the money. When the copper went out he left the cell unlocked and told him not to run away. The copper's wife bought him lunch. Once the fines were paid the copper said that 'I had better make you legal' and issued him with a license. He didn't bother with the riding test as he reckoned that if he could obviously ride.


I always like stories where common sense trumps pedantry.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

A neighbour's relative was a nun working on a remote settlement. Got her license from the local copper. When she came to Wollongong it came out that she had never put a car in reverse and couldn't drive backwards..

[GrahamL]

My old neighbour (25 years ago ) from a very small country town probably to this day will drive around a car park looking for a spot she dosnt have to reverse out of ... country policeing was differant in some ways but if you fkd up that cop who gave you the liscence would kick your back end in so many ways .

[bobson (Bob)]

Yes, that's how it used to be...
When I moved to Perth just before 2000 I went to change driving licence to WA one and was asked do I want with photo or without photo?

I couldn't believe it! I asked is there difference in price, he said no. OK give me with photo then just in case. Then they changed the law in 2002 I think.

Now tragicomic true story, I won't say which small town this happened in WA.
Local guy had drink with his mates and around midnight left the pub driving home some 20 kms away. Half way he ren over something and stopped only to find it was drunk Aboriginal man!! He checked him out but he was dead, killed instantly. So he drove back to report this to local policeman. He woke him up and told him what happened. Policeman told him he shouldn't have driven after such accident to which this man told him how else he would report such a thing? (since there are no phones or mobile phones at the time.)
So the policeman said OK let's drive there...
And on the way there policeman ren over another drunk Aboriginal man and killed him instantly!!
The man asked policeman what are we going to do now? Who's gonna drive now?

So, not just happy stories from the "days"

Just now on Perth news young mother got arrested for 7x over legal alcohol limit with child in back seat!!

[cwjohn (Chris)]

Hi

If I may practice armchair philosophy here.

Once you are at a particular alcohol reading (whatever that may be decided to be) or drug induced state, you are not in control of your actions. It is therefore a matter of luck whether you kill someone.

Why then should a person who kills someone receive a long jail sentence as compared to another person who does not, but is caught by the police in a similar state.

Surely, if it was mandated that if you are over a certain alcohol or drug reading then certain jail time is always applicable then there would be a dramatic reduction in these type of events.

Or put it another way, why should luck come into the equation. Surely, the potential for harm is what we should be concentrating on.

Just my opinion.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by cwjohn

Or put it another way, why should luck come into the equation. Surely, the potential for harm is what we should be concentrating on.

That's one way to look at it but we're getting into dangerous territory here. Slippery slope. Sounds like minority report. There's always a potential risk in everything we do in life. Luck is an important part of it. If you cater for every instance of something going wrong then society will be so restricted that nothing would be fun in life. The insurance companies will love it though.