posted
You know, BAC is not a perfect indicator of impairment. Nor is the mere fact that someone has been drinking or is drinking.
MADD and some others will say that any alcohol equates to impairment. But whether the level of impairment is "meaningful" is certainly up for debate.
I look at it another way. The driving task is generally very forgiving. People drive without paying attention. They drive drunk. They drive when fatigued. They drive faster than the speed limit...etc. And usually (the VAST majority of times) nothing bad happens. But these are all contributing factors. And, every once in awhile, the driving task becomes one with zero leeway.
At that point in time, the ideal would be that drivers are performing at their peak. And if the driver is NOT performing at his/her best, then they become at least part of the reason that a crash occurred. And the further they are from peak performance, the more liable they are in real terms (not just in the courts).
What you have to plan for when driving is the worst case. And if your reactions are slowed, or you are tired, inattentive, etc., then you are a cause. If you get drunk and drive, you helped cause the crash. Period.
Oh well. It may not hold up in court. But I believe that everyone has a responsibility to only get behind the wheel when they are READY to drive.
I'm not a big fan of government legislated morality in no-fault situations. But driving is not generally a no fault situation. A vanishingly small percentage of crashes are caused by vehicles or road conditions. The vast majority happen because one or more drivers do something they shouldn't. And, in that context, most people are far too willing to drive when their skills are blunted.
Ah well. Someday our cars will drive themselves and we can take human behavior out of the equation. The number of crashes will go down dramatically eventually. Until then, we just have ourselves to blame.
I'm not too worried about the image of an over-zealous enforcement officer. Unless its a municipal cop trying to boost revenue, most cops are not all that interested in making traffic stops without first seeing something dangerous in the driver's behavior. Traffic stops are dangerous in and of themselves. People rarely appreciate your efforts.
Oh well...
I think Montana has some pretty good traffic safety people up there. Idiot legislators -- spare us!
What the heck is a cherry beer?
Is it like carbonated cough syrup?
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Bob, New Glarus of Wisconsin makes a Belgian style of beer called Belgian Red. It is infused with cherries. In flavor it probably comes closer to tasting like a wine than a beer. If you are interested see if Tom could procure a bottle for you.
Tom, I see where the Spotted Owl you mentioned is a product of New Glarus. Both products I have sampled from their brewery have been outstanding.
Posts: 2022 | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote: I'm not too worried about the image of an over-zealous enforcement officer. Unless its a municipal cop trying to boost revenue, most cops are not all that interested in making traffic stops without first seeing something dangerous in the driver's behavior. Traffic stops are dangerous in and of themselves. People rarely appreciate your efforts.
One caveat for some areas around the Chicago area - apparently there are some locales that still make a practice of doing traffic stops for "driving while black."
But I don't think that affects anyone coming to KamaCon.
Edit to add: I am admittedly NOT a fan of the Chicago police these days and it's probably making me more prone to snarkiness about law enforcement in general.
posted
*nod* Yeah, New Glarus has rapidly become my favorite small brewery, and I'm not just saying that because I live half an hour away. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
I'm actually very glad punwit brought this up at all, so we could have this discussion and get rules and expectations out in the open FIRST, before getting to KamaCon.
Personally, I don't drink, although it doesn't bother me if others do. But a couple years ago I went to a gathering (not Hatrack - another group) and was appalled that some of the people there created a basic "open bar" in their hotel room and had people in and out all day and night -- sometimes drinking hard liquor at like 10 in the morning, etc. and some underaged people drinking. The following year they made the rule of NO liquor.
I just think if they had a discussion like this prior to the event, then rules would have been defined and the embarrassment of the first year would not have happened.
So punwit -- we are NOT at all upset at your idea -- I think it is a blessing in disguise because it allowed us to clear the air on this before the event. I had actually worried about this --- whether there might be drunken rowdiness going on in some of the rooms. Since I am bringing my daughter, I was concerned.
posted
Bob, Here is a page that does a great job of describing the cherry beer that you were inquisitve about. For those that are interested this site has ratings and descriptions of THOUSANDS of beers.
Posts: 2022 | Registered: Mar 2004
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