Grassing up drink drivers

[callam_nffc]

Would you/have you? Or have you had an experience with a drink driver?

some guy was just on the radio talking about his mum who was killed by someone doing 70 past a bus stop whilst pissed, was a real stomach churning story

my local force are now giving out £200 rewards for grassing people up before Christmas I think (not sure how it works)

I personally think its awful when people drive even after a pint and honestly believe the safe limit is none at all.

I've also known people who claim they can drive better stoned...yes honestly

[Jamoi]

Not sure about this one

If someone was to grass me up for drink driving, I certainly wouldn't blame them. In fact I might pat them on the back for taking action to prevent a potential accident.

I don't drink drive, so no problems here.

If I knew someone was drunk and about to drive I'd take the keys away from them.

[Watty]

Agree totally mate the limit should be zero alcohol. I won't touch a drop if I'm driving and will only have a couple early evening if I'm driving early next day. Drink/drug drivers boil my blood

[callam_nffc]

Its an awkward one isnt it, nobody wants to grass mates up but imagine how youd feel if they hurt someone, I personally would feel partly to blame

and same here watty if I drink heavily I wont drive at all the next day

[BigVeeGrin]

it is awkward - but one the other hand if you're preventing a potential death or injury it's ok in my mind. Also if you knew something would be done it makes it more worth it - once knew a bloke who always had a couple or more and was a right arrogant tw@, people often took his keys off him and he got lairy as hell - if he was to be grassed & banned and people like him then so much the better

[AMCQ46]

I am not sure I feel comfortable with the concept of grassing up strangers as a blanket concept, manly due to the fear as to where it will end up going.

In the case like BVG outlines, I have come close to calling the cops for the same reason, but he was also paraletic and an arragant tw@ who was kicking off with everybody! we told him we were going to do it if he started the engine and moved away.... he backed down and called a taxi.

But if we let joe public decide what the law is, which ones are most important, who should be reported, doing this annonimously and without warning then we start to move into a dodgy area in my opinion.
Although I have strong views on drink driving, there are others who have the same view on speeding and they think anything over 50 is a serious crime, So Do we now open the door to grassing up bikers by submitting your camera footage to the police!!!!

people and goverments already interfere too much in other peoples lives and I want less of it not more, even though the intention may be good.

[Jamoi]

I think Callam is morphing into Jeremy Vine! ;)

[ebenviljoen]

I witnessed a guy been taken off his scooter by a drink driver when I was in school in South Africa. Poor bloke lied in the rode with parts of him scatterred everywhere in the road. It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen. He died on the scene, and it all happened a week before Christmas.

About 2 months ago a couple very close to me lost their son and his fiance due to a drink driver going the wrong way on the a14, drink driver walked away, but the two innocent victims died, both aged 25.

I do not care who I see trying to drink drive, if I see you, I will rip your face off!!!

There are limits though saying that. I have a pint on a Friday and drive home, but only one. Drink two or more and I get the cab home.

[VTRDark]

They can't put a zero tolerance on it because our body's naturally produces a degree of alcohol. I got done for drink driving many moons ago around about this time of year. Not drunk but juts over the limit. In fact the copper at the station said to me if it was an hour later I probably would have come up under on the machine.

IIRC it was just after they brought out the instant year ban penalty. The year ban was OK as I just continued driving when I wanted to You couldn't get away with that now unless your on foreign plates and don't get caught!! The real killer is the ten years on your insurance. I'm sure it still effects my policy today even though it should be long gone off my record.

As for grassing up a family member/friend no I would not do it. It would be like braking a code of conduct, you don't do it. I would do everything but grass them up to stop them driving/riding if I felt the need. Obliviously if they are blind drunk, and I wont use the word over the limit... then take/steal their keys off them (which I have done to a close friend in the past), knock them out or whatever

If they are that drunk and incapable of driving/riding they will most likely fall over with a push anyway. And if there is no real way of stopping them, then with some of my close friends I would sacrifice myself even if I was drunk but coherent to drive and drive them myself. As for carrying them as a pillion...NO, if they are that drunk I wouldn't want a pillion.

If they are/possibly over the limit a small amount and I can see they are coherent and OK to drive/ride I will remind them they are/might be over the limit, but it's up to them if they are determined to drive/ride or not.

Will the media pick on mobile phone users next or drinking coffee......no, lets ban smoking in vehicles. At the end of the day we all have to be responsible for ourselves and our actions whether that involves breaking any laws or not.

This is just the authorities giving a gentle Christmas reminder to not drink and drive and they will be out on the prowl over the festive season. Or is that get the public to do their work for them. Silly coppers don't even realise they will be making themselves redundant when the public start self policing things. Oh no... they have cameras for that.

(:-})

[VTRDark]

But if we let joe public decide what the law is, which ones are most important, who should be reported, doing this annonimously and without warning then we start to move into a dodgy area in my opinion.
Although I have strong views on drink driving, there are others who have the same view on speeding and they think anything over 50 is a serious crime, So Do we now open the door to grassing up bikers by submitting your camera footage to the police!!!!

people and goverments already interfere too much in other peoples lives and I want less of it not more, even though the intention may be good.

Totally agree.

Who's to say where the boundaries are within any situation. Like I said we have to be responsible for our ourselves and our actions.

(:-})

[agentpineapple]

personally, I was brought up in the east end, and you just don't grass people up, but as I've got older, and seen first hand many drink drivers are on the road late at night, if I saw one on the road and then saw a police car, I wouldn't have a problem with letting them know what I saw.
I still like the fact that I can have a pint of shandy with a friend and then drive home, because I can restrain myself from drinking anymore, but some people just can't, how many times have we heard someone say, I think I drive better when I've had a few....
if the law changed to zero tolerance, I wouldn't lose any sleep.

[Nickcv]

In my teens whilst riding a push bike I was hit by a drunk driver behind the wheel of a transit van. He shot across a cross road and hit me broadside ( I was on the main road and had right of way ). I went over the top of the van and landed on top of a fibreglass salt bin on the pavement, thankfully he was duly convicted. Would I shop an obviously drunk driver, too right I would.

[AMCQ46]

As for grassing up a family member/friend no I would not do it. It would be like braking a code of conduct, you don't do it. I would do everything but grass them up to stop them driving/riding if I felt the need. Obliviously if they are blind drunk, and I wont use the word over the limit... then take/steal their keys off them (which I have done to a close friend in the past), knock them out or whatever(:-})

if it was friends or Family members, for sure you wouldnt phone the police, you would tell them to their face that they cant drive and then work out some other solution.......or knock them out like you say

I think this thread is more about grassing up strangers on suspicion, which is dodgy

[VTRDark]

That's a tricky one that. Not sure how I feel about that one. I guess it would depend on the situation and my mood at the time. We see drink drivers on the road all the time. I usually spot them a mile off, keep my distance and overtake as soon as I can. Usually older folk driving home from the village working mans club or something down country lane backroads when I stay down in Sussex. In London everyone drives like they are drunk anyway.

(:-})

[Jamoi]

If my nan has a couple of cherries before getting on her mobility scooter, I'm gunna knock her out! Hehehe

I wish people just wouldn't drink drive.