Drunk Driving

dculberson wrote:

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I want to live in a place where it's cool to ride a horse to a bar.

It is always cool to ride a horse to a bar.

I have a buddy who was at a college party where someone rode a mule specifically to avoid a DUI. Guy got pulled over anyway. What he didn't realize was that somebody had decided it would be funny to give the mule some whiskey while he wasn't looking...

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I want to live in a place where it's cool to ride a horse to a bar.

My ex father in law (who's been dead lo these many years and would applaud me telling this story) chose his final home specifically because it was behind a bar in a strip mall. He would crawl under the fence to get home.

And a DUI/DWI can be had on ANYTHING that has wheels or hooves. It happened to a guy here on a riding mower; he got sloshed while mowing the grass, drove his riding mower to the 7-11 and bought a 12 pack. A cop followed him, then stopped him in fron of his house, popped him with a DUI.

Also (at least in this state) it's very possible to be charged with DUI even if your BAC is below .08. It's basically 'officer's discretion' to arrest someone on suspicion of drunk driving but it becomes, for lack of a better word, 'automatic' over that level. If it's below .08 the officer needs better proof of impaired driving (which is the legal term) at trial such as a video. It's also possible to get a DUI for taking pills, smoking pot etc.

I thought of a good offensive T-Shirt:

Certified Drunk Driving Instructor – Friends don’t let friends drive drunk without first receiving proper training.

Curmudgeon wrote:

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I want to live in a place where it's cool to ride a horse to a bar.

My ex father in law (who's been dead lo these many years and would applaud me telling this story) chose his final home specifically because it was behind a bar in a strip mall. He would crawl under the fence to get home. And a DUI/DWI can be had on ANYTHING that has wheels or hooves. It happened to a guy here on a riding mower; he got sloshed while mowing the grass, drove his riding mower to the 7-11 and bought a 12 pack. A cop followed him, then stopped him in fron of his house, popped him with a DUI. Also (at least in this state) it's very possible to be charged with DUI even if your BAC is below .08. It's basically 'officer's discretion' to arrest someone on suspicion of drunk driving but it becomes, for lack of a better word, 'automatic' over that level. If it's below .08 the officer needs better proof of impaired driving (which is the legal term) at trial such as a video. It's also possible to get a DUI for taking pills, smoking pot etc.

yeah, imagine the shock some folk got here (NC) when they switched to DWI as opposed to DUI, when they got pulled over (and later convicted) for over the counter cold meds ?

not intending to flounder, but is DUI a felony? and does having a felony conviction mean you can't legally buy a handgun, or vote, or etc etc.? sure it's a money grab, but what else are they grabbing?

AngryCorvair wrote: not intending to flounder, but is DUI a felony? and does having a felony conviction mean you can't legally buy a handgun, or vote, or etc etc.? sure it's a money grab, but what else are they grabbing?

The guy that almost killed me had his DUI bumped up to Felony DUI due to the severity of my injuries. So if they ever find the bastard (warrant is issued) he'll be on the hook for a felony.

I do not know if Michigan considers it a felony (i think it is a state-state thing.)
I had run across this recently:
3 Couple travel from US to Canada for a ski trip. At the Calgary Airport, on person is denied entry into Canada and deported back to US. The reason, previous DUI in US.
I seem to remember that the DUI conviction was more than 10 years past and also that the person had traveled to Canada frequently within those 10 years...then the rules changed or were getting enforced.
http://canada.usembassy.gov/traveling_to_canada/entering-canada.html

Drunk Driving or other Criminal Record Anyone with a criminal record (including a drunk driving conviction) may be excluded from Canada. A waiver of exclusion may be issued but several weeks are required and a processing fee must be paid. Contact the Canadian Embassy or a Canadian Consulate in the U.S. for more information.

It seems that exclusion from Canada is not based on weather it was considered a felony in the US.
In other words, a non-felony DUI charge can still keep you out of Canada (and likely other countries too.)

Curmudgeon wrote: And a DUI/DWI can be had on ANYTHING that has wheels or hooves. It happened to a guy here on a riding mower; he got sloshed while mowing the grass, drove his riding mower to the 7-11 and bought a 12 pack. A cop followed him, then stopped him in fron of his house, popped him with a DUI.

There was a news story in Minneapolis just a couple days ago about a guy who has successfully beat several drunk driving charges because he was on a Segway, which apparently is not considered a motor vehicle in Minnesota. I found it interesting since there have been successful DWI arrests in the state for people on bicycles, horseback, riding mowers, and even one guy who had a motorized Laz-E-Boy recliner.

Typically DUIs are not a felony offense(even multiple DUIs), it's the other offenses tied to the event that are.

Canada can and will deny you entry into the country. I do know a couple of people who have gone up there for work recently that had DUIs and were not checked and made it in.

In all honesty, if you couldn't learn your lesson the first time you get a DUI, it should be a felony the second time around.

Anti-stance wrote: In all honesty, if you couldn't learn your lesson the first time you get a DUI, you shouldn't be allowed to drive again, ever.

FTFY

So if the new Mercedes is on cruise control and essentially driving itself would it get a DUI if it is running an ethanol blend?

Curmudgeon wrote: And a DUI/DWI can be had on ANYTHING that has wheels or hooves. It happened to a guy here on a riding mower; he got sloshed while mowing the grass, drove his riding mower to the 7-11 and bought a 12 pack. A cop followed him, then stopped him in fron of his house, popped him with a DUI.

I used to think that, but during the last round of DUI law debate in the capital city, they were trying to re-classify a moped as a "motor vehicle". It wasn't and the drunks could ride them all day along. Its great to have DUI lawyers writing all of our laws. Any idiot would think a motor vehicle would be any vehicle that has a motor. A moped does.

Years ago, my brother's best friend got arrested from DUI in Myrtle Beach while he was pumping gas into his car. It took a call to one of his other best friend's father (a state senator) to get that one straightened out.

I've always thought, going by charts, what I presume to some degree of certainty to be a .08, with me, is beyond a point where I would drive a car if I could avoid it. And I can outdrink most of my friends, being overweight and primarily of various historically drunk European ancestry.

That being said, "zero tolerance" in anything, is a steaming pile of political bullE36 M3.

spitfirebill wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: And a DUI/DWI can be had on ANYTHING that has wheels or hooves. It happened to a guy here on a riding mower; he got sloshed while mowing the grass, drove his riding mower to the 7-11 and bought a 12 pack. A cop followed him, then stopped him in fron of his house, popped him with a DUI.

I used to think that, but during the last round of DUI law debate in the capital city, they were trying to re-classify a moped as a "motor vehicle". It wasn't and the drunks could ride them all day along. Its great to have DUI lawyers writing all of our laws. Any idiot would think a motor vehicle would be any vehicle that has a motor. A moped does. Years ago, my brother's best friend got arrested from DUI in Myrtle Beach while he was pumping gas into his car. It took a call to one of his other best friend's father (a state senator) to get that one straightened out.

may be urban legend, but I've heard of people getting popped while riding a bicycle ... wouldn't that be even less of a "motor vehicle" ?

and like Curmudgeon said ... I've heard of riding mowers, horse riders getting popped

I went to a university in a town well known for lots of people riding bikes, and part of the orientation involved explaining that yes, riding a bike while drunk would result in you being arrested and your name being reported to the DMV, I don't drink, and I don't know of anyone who got caught doing that so im not sure how it would turn out after that though.

We have just changed the law here so you can go out into the parking lot and pass out in your car. They used to be able to write you for impaired driving if you were asleep in the back seat of your car, with the keys in your pocket.

Now you have to move before they ding you.

Speaking of being drunk and riding a bike, this happened not too long ago here. Pretty funny story.

A bicyclist who witnesses said was drunk and repeatedly falling off his bike into traffic was arrested on multiple charges after an officer confronted him and he fled on the bike while making a siren noise with his mouth.

Morse was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting an officer with and without violence, and fleeing and eluding police. He was booked into the Alachua County jail, where he remained Tuesday without bond.