DUI Laws

[PerpetualImperfexion]

I FUCKED UP

All these statistics are wrong/misleading. Please do not be mislead. I apologize for any harm I may have done by misleading you. Feel free to debate the validity of allowing people to drive under the influence though.

One of the main arguments on this topic is that 40% of crashes are alcohol related. This would imply that people who drive under the influence are probably going to get into a crash. My problem with this is that they are looking at all the crashes and asking how many were caused by drunk driving rather than looking at how many people drive drunk compared to how many get in a crash. There were 12,000 crashes caused by people who were under the influence in 2010. Yet statistics show that 17 million people drove while under the influence in 2010. Even if we were to assume that all these people only did this once (which odds are that some people did it many more times than once) it would still only be 12 crashes for every 17,000 people who drove while intoxicated. So yes 40% of accidents are alcohol related and yet only 0.07% of people who drive under the influence cause accidents. Is this grounds to make DUI legal?

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/08/26/news/aa9drunks082610.txt
http://www.edgarsnyder.com/drunk-driving/statistics.html

*Please note that I said 7% percent of people under the influence cause accidents. This was a division fail. My apologies, I changed it to 0.07%*

Just because statistics state what they do doesn't mean I think that it should be legalized. I was just putting it out there cause I thought it was interesting. Although in answer to your question if DUI were legal not as much money would be spent on enforcing the law, less people would be in prison for DUI so we don't have to pay for them to live, etc. All laws have costs to enforce and I realize that, but you have to ask if the costs to enforce it are less than the damage that it prevents.

24,000 people died from car crashes in general in 2010. Of those, 11,000 crashes were alcohol related. Less than half of the accidents were caused by drinking and driving so, what proof is there that an intoxicated person is more likely to get into a crash and kill some? And think about it, there are only so many places, at so many speeds, at so many angles that can cause a person to die from a car crash. Why does a drunk person have a higher chance of hitting any of those spots?

http://www.treatmentsolutions.com/drunk-driving-statistics/
http://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/statistics.html

[Gothicdeer]

What would be the point of making DUI legal? In your opinion?

[PerpetualImperfexion]

What would be the point of making DUI legal? In your opinion?

Just because statistics state what they do doesn't mean I think that it should be legalized. I was just putting it out there cause I thought it was interesting. Although in answer to your question if DUI were legal not as much money would be spent on enforcing the law, less people would be in prison for DUI so we don't have to pay for them to live, etc. All laws have costs to enforce and I realize that, but you have to ask if the costs to enforce it are less than the damage that it prevents.

[Jupiter]

Well, I don't really have a lot to say on the subject, and I am not promoting drunk driving... but my mother actually drove drunk for ten years before she got pulled over for being asleep in her car on the side of the road -___-

[double r]

I agree with Silent_Rebel facts, but the problem is you are stating that you would like people to drive drunk, the biggest issue is that they can kill them selves and other innocent civilians on the road.

[Coolboi]

hey don't drink an drive then there will not be a statistics of drunk drivers killing ppl !
simple as that ! get a designed driver ! but u r right there is more driver sober that crash than DUI ppl ! so my thoughts are DON'T DRINK AN DRIVE OR SMOKE POT AN DRIVE !
be safe when driving !!!

[PerpetualImperfexion]

hey don't drink an drive then there will not be a statistics of drunk drivers killing ppl !
simple as that ! get a designed driver ! but u r right there is more driver sober that crash than DUI ppl ! so my thoughts are DON'T DRINK AN DRIVE OR SMOKE POT AN DRIVE !
be safe when driving !!!

24,000 people died from car crashes in general in 2010. Of those, 11,000 crashes were alcohol related. Less than half of the accidents were caused by drinking and driving so, what proof is there that an intoxicated person is more likely to get into a crash and kill some? And think about it, there are only so many places, at so many speeds, at so many angles that can cause a person to die from a car crash. Why does a drunk person have a higher chance of hitting any of those spots?

http://www.treatmentsolutions.com/drunk-driving-statistics/
http://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/statistics.html

[ImCoolBeans]

Regardless the ratio of who drives drunk to who gets into a crash, are you kidding me? Drunk driving being even considered as being legal is absurd. This is hardly even an opinionated issue. Thats like saying "smoking pot before school should be allowed, not everybody who does it will lose all of the information, but there is a good chance that most will."

[PerpetualImperfexion]

Regardless the ratio of who drives drunk to who gets into a crash, are you kidding me? Drunk driving being even considered as being legal is absurd.


But WHY is it absurd?


This is hardly even an opinionated issue.


"opinionated - Conceitedly assertive and dogmatic in one's opinions."
You're right I'm not "assertive of my opinion". I'm simply stating facts to avoid bias. Notice I did mention some negative aspects of DUI.

http://bit.ly/J0lFhc


Thats like saying "smoking pot before school should be allowed, not everybody who does it will lose all of the information, but there is a good chance that most will."


The thing is that not even MOST drunk drivers cause accidents (only 0.07%)

[ImCoolBeans]

With vision, judgement and motor skills all being impaired, do you honestly think that it would be a good idea to make it legal? The reason that number is low is most likely due to the fact that people avoid drunk driving, for the reasons which I just stated.

[PerpetualImperfexion]

With vision, judgement and motor skills all being impaired, do you honestly think that it would be a good idea to make it legal? The reason that number is low is most likely due to the fact that people avoid drunk driving, for the reasons which I just stated.

Yes alcohol impairs senses, reasoning, etc, but according to the statistics it must not mess with them enough to make someone more or less likely to get into a crash. Yep when 17 million people are voluntarily drunk driving, people are definitely avoiding it. I realize when you're talking about large populations when you say "a lot of people" it can mean different things. For instance 17mill is only 5% of 350mill, but 17 million is A LOT of people when you realize that only 12,000 accidents were caused by them. Either you didn't let all the numbers sink in or you didn't read the entire post. Either way I'm a little offended.

[ImCoolBeans]

Well, if you were offended by me opposing your point of view, you should probably take a look around and realize that this is the section of the site where people are going to disagree with you. And to be honest, I don't think you payed too much attention to that second link you provided, which ironically is the first or second search result on google. That is for the state of Pennsylvania, man.
In 2010, there were 12,426 alcohol-related vehicle accidents in Pennsylvania
n 2010, there were 459 fatalities that involved alcohol in Pennsylvania
Nearly one-third (31%) of driver deaths ages 16-20 were drinking drivers
In 2010, 34 alcohol-related crashes occurred in Pennsylvania every day
Those are all from the second link you provided, which you conveniently left out. You also conveniently left out the fact that your statistics apply to one state, but you made it seem as if they applied to the country as a whole.

This source: http://www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Impaired_Driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html , provides some eye opening information.
In 2009, 10,839 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.
That is just the death statistic, which is right about what you were claiming the accident number to be.
In 2009, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.
Considerably higher than 12,000. Innit?

[PerpetualImperfexion]

Well, if you were offended by me opposing your point of view, you should probably take a look around and realize that this is the section of the site where people are going to disagree with you.


The fuck. I didn't say I was offended cause you disagreed with my opinion xD I wouldn't be able to have any fun if that were true. Look a little closer to my last sentence.


And to be honest, I don't think you payed too much attention to that second link you provided, which ironically is the first or second search result on google. That is for the state of Pennsylvania, man.

Those are all from the second link you provided, which you conveniently left out. You also conveniently left out the fact that your statistics apply to one state, but you made it seem as if they applied to the country as a whole.


My legitamate apologies. I learned a lesson today, look more carefully at your sources.

http://www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Impaired_Driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html[/url] , provides some eye opening information.

That is just the death statistic, which is right about what you were claiming the accident number to be.

Considerably higher than 12,000. Innit?

Ugh spent too long looking up statistics to get proven wrong. I quit.

[Texas warrior]

I think that it should still be ilegal, most people are bad drivers to start with. So add booze they, well.................