OT: Drunk Drivers

I lost my oldest brother when he was 17.  He was riding his bike home from work and the lady that hit him thought she hit a tree branch...Don't drink and drive.

I'm glad to hear that's the extent of his injuries. Looking at that damage, he is very lucky. Good on Toyota for designing those cars with energy dispersion like that. 

I'm assuming the scumbag drunk driver didn't just drive off afterwards right? The car can be replaced the kiddo cant. Hopefully the idiot goes to jail for a bit to gain a dose of reality.

I was an EMS helicopter pilot for 10 yrs.  When people asked me what I did for a living, I said "Saved the lives of the drunk, stoned, and stupid."  Seriously.....80-90% of scene responses we did were alcohol or drug related.  Even the motorcycle accidents were rarely the rider getting struck or run off the road by a car--most were loss of control because the rider was drunk and speeding.  I can't remember how many times were out at a scene at 2AM landing in the middle of an intersection surrounded by powerlines, trees, and light poles to pick up the injured drunk driver (because the person(s) they hit was already dead.)  I don't miss that job nor the nightmares that went with it.

Gulfcoastguy said:

He started to run off but the truck wouldn’t go.

Straight to firing squad then as far as I'm concerned.

Gulfcoastguy said:

TEXASBGE2018 said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

He started to run off but the truck wouldn’t go.

Straight to firing squad then as far as I'm concerned.

I would rather that he be jailed. While jailed he be dropped of at a job every day and picked up every evening. His income to be forfeited to pay for his jail costs and the damage that he has done. Why should he get the easy way out?

I’m ok with that mostly. Except I don’t want some scumbag drunk driver making decisions at any job more complex than elevator button pusher. If they are dumb enough to drink and drive I don’t really want them working somewhere that they could and most likely would make another bonehead move.

Battleborn said:

On Super Bowl Sunday I worked a DUI checkpoint. Over the course of 10 hours, there were 22 DUI arrests and three felony child endangerment arrests. This checkpoint was well announced in the local media and well announced on the road prior to the checkpoint. 
Kinda makes one wonder how many of these idiots are always on the road. 
Unfortunately we can't catch enough of them to deter the behavior. 

I always have mixed feelings about the effectiveness of those.  Since they're announced, there are social media and targeted tweets dedicated to informing, plenty of people know to avoid them.  So unless the dept is paying a bunch of overtime, that means the force from that area is being concentrated in one area, leaving the other areas unpatrolled or under patrolled.

For me it comes down to the hypocrisy in my town.  There are two areas where the bars are and the DUI checkpoint they set up is not on the exit from those bars (it's within viewing distance from one nightlife area, which means everybody that leaves those 3-4 bars makes a left rather than a right and goes around them.)  They'll nab 1-2 drivers, but I know damn well DOZENS were leaving the bars in town.  If they were really serious about, they'd set up those checkpoints on both sides of where people leave those bars.  But that's not going to happen because the bar owners and their tax money would never let that happen.  It seems more like a show of force around here--I don't like being delayed in that line and stopped without any reasonable articulable suspicion.  They know exactly where plenty of drunks are.....go set up over there and stop blocking a state highway.

Sounds like the one you had was effective though.  I liked what the Sheriff used to do out in the country.....the put up a sign on I-44 near a tight turn that said "DRUG CHECKPOINT 1/4 mi AHEAD.  Be prepared to STOP.  Dogs in USE"  People would panic and get off at the exit right there and then run the stop sign when they got on the outer road.  Up behind a bunch trees there was an unmarked SUV watching and recording it all, then they'd radio to the marked cars a half mile down the road to pull them over.  They nailed so many people with just 3-4 guys on that task force.

alaskanassasin said:

They were unannounced in Raleigh, they snagged anyone turning around etc. They also had a bus on site with a magistrate.

Unannounced....fine.  But how is it legal to stop someone who turns around (so long as they do not commit a traffic violation in doing so?)  Its just like an officer claiming they have the right to search your car if you refuse a search.....plenty of case law says refusing to surrender your rights is not RAS nor grounds for a warrant.  

The local guys told me the same thing.....if we see anybody get off at the Shell station prior to the checkpoint, we just pull them over anyway.  Not legal.

There used to be "safety checks" over in IL.....East St. Louis specifically.  They would set up checkpoints and check peoples licenses, insurance, and registration.   If you were white or have out of state plates, they'd wave you right through.  But otherwise you'd be stopped.  They issued a ton of tickets since it was a poor neighborhood and people didnt know their rights.  Never saw a single one of those in the nicer areas in the 24 yrs I lived in IL. 

Also to get an attorney 

alaskanassasin said:

They were unannounced in Raleigh, they snagged anyone turning around etc. They also had a bus on site with a magistrate.

Still do it now. Not just RPD but every dept. in every town, Cary, Fuquay, Rolesville, Morrisville ect. Made a big dent in the Darwin candidate idiot contingent.  

Wow so happy to hear everyone made it out relatively ok.  I agree if you drink don't drive.

I'm happy to hear everyone survived.

I propose a new traffic law for drunks and texters - all the innocents involved get 3 free shots on scene with responding officers ASP baton.

I'm so tired of hearing about innocent lives being affected by the ignorant.  Your grandnephew next to the car is quite an image.

stlcharcoal said:
I liked what the Sheriff used to do out in the country.....the put up a sign on I-44 near a tight turn that said "DRUG CHECKPOINT 1/4 mi AHEAD.  Be prepared to STOP.  Dogs in USE"  People would panic and get off at the exit right there and then run the stop sign when they got on the outer road.  Up behind a bunch trees there was an unmarked SUV watching and recording it all, then they'd radio to the marked cars a half mile down the road to pull them over.  They nailed so many people with just 3-4 guys on that task force.

I really like that!