View Poll Results: What is a socially acceptable attitude to drinking and driving?

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  • It's acceptable to judge whether you are OK to drive after some drinks

    9 17.65%
  • If you drink you don't drive, period.

    39 76.47%
  • Something else (please elaborate in a reply)

    3 5.88%
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Drinking & driving - what is acceptable these days?

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  1. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by Beanieskis:
    As Moving says a lot of it depends where you live - in a city there is never any need to drive after even one glass, in more rural areas you will often be in that position.
    You obviously have a different definition of "need" from me. I can think of no situations in Hong Kong where one needs to drink and drive - it's a choice, always, and not a good one in my opinion.

    (I can conceive of extremely rare circumstances involving, for example, someone else being taken seriously ill in a remote area with no ambulance service and no taxis, but I can't think of any such situation that could arise in Hong Kong.)

  2. #12

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    Hong Kong has good public transport and widely available taxis though, so yes there is never any need here. But in some parts of the world it's a choice of never having even one glass of wine if you're going out for a meal, or don't go out - because driving is the only way to get home.

    Personally I don't drink anything when I dive, because I know even one glass affects me, but that's not the same for eveyone.


  3. #13

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    what's the legal blood alcohol level in HK?

    In Oz it's 0.05% (memories of Peter Brock's campaign, "under "05" or under arrest").

    I tend to agree one drink is ok, however more than one, regardless of the time elapsed since drinking, one's judgement of capabilites to drive is almost caput. Then you have the whole dilemna of people who have no idea what a drink is... how big is a glass of wine, how many standard drinks is *really* in that glass... especially now with wines well over 13% alc. They used to hover around 9-10%. And beers that used to be around 4% are all 5.5%, and in 440ml bottles.

    from memory a "standard" drink is 10g of ethanol. that means the average drink is well over this, which basically means one drink will put you at or very close to the limit. have 2, and you're out.

    I reckon i can't judge enough to safely on a road i don't know even after 1 drink. but that's just me

    Edit: just an add-on - i think in oz they say a bloke can have 2 drinks in one hour, then one drink every hour, and that will keep you AT the limit. For a woman (sorry, this is what they used to tell us in the road users guide!) it's one drink and one every hour. so if u have a half pint of a modern 5% beer an hour, you're well and truly over. As most people hasve problems with maths and guesstimates even when sober, how the hell can we judge after a few drinks?

    Last edited by dropdedfwed; 21-02-2010 at 03:37 PM.

  4. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by dropdedfwed:
    what's the legal blood alcohol level in HK?
    With effect from 1 October 1999, the prescribed limit is set at:

    50 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of blood; or
    22 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath; or
    67 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of urine

    Any driver found exceeding the prescribed limit may face prosecution under the law.

  5. #15

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    Having lived in rural areas as well, the limits do cause issues, but can be overcome with having a designated driver and some pubs even run a "beer bus" service as well. Hong Kong has plenty of cheap public transport options and therefore there is no excuse.

    Some of the more bizzare incidents I have seen is people drinking beer tinnies whilst driving in rural Australia, but the worst was an old next door neighbour in the UK who was an alcoholic and a driving instructor. Thank god for me, he got done for DUI before I got my provisional licence.


  6. #16

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    To quote an Aussie anti-'drinking-and-driving' campaign, "Drink, drive, bloody idiot."

    Been guilty, in my late teens, of riding a motorbike whilst under some serious influence, late at night without headlights, with a passenger behind me who was just as plastered, but was quite lucky* I would say and wouldn't even think of pushing my luck again.

    To do so would be risking my own life and that of others. Highly irresponsible and idiotic.

    * Long story, but basically I am lucky to even be alive just for the drinking-and-driving alone.
    Posted via Mobile Device


  7. #17

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    Drinking and driving is just plain foolish. There is a good chance you might spill it!

    (Sorry, I know its an old one, but someone had to say it!)


  8. #18

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    Sep 2007
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    Firstly, I don't drink and drive simply because I don't want to take the risk. Getting myself killed is one thing, but the chance of killing others in my car or someone elses.... well I wouldn't want that on my conscience. To me, it's just not worth the risk.

    That said, I'm not convinced a glass or pint with a meal would really have that much effect on most people. The problem is, everyone is different and there's just no way to tell.

    So yeah, I don't but I'm not sure how much danger is really involved with a single drink with a meal for most people...


  9. #19

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    I guess my perspective on drunk-driving is more personal. My family (self, husband, two sons) was on the receiving end of a drunk driver; I was the only one to survive, albeit after time in a coma and a long rehabilitation. This was back in England when drunk-driving was deemed to merit just a slap on the hand; the driver received a 15-month suspended sentence.

    IMO, if someone thinks it is okay to drink and riving, they should go to the funeral of a loving one killed by someone who thought the same.

    Sigga, Dreadnought and gunsnroses like this.

  10. #20

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    oh, claire! how awful!

    to me, a drunk driver who kills someone is just a murderer.

    when i was about 6 years old, i saw a woman on a bike hit by a drunk driver. she looked like a rag doll being thrown about 50 feet into the air. i will NEVER forget it.

    ps> claire, in no way do i mean to equate what i witnessed with what you went through. i can only imagine. you are one strong lady and have my utmost admiration!

    Last edited by carang; 22-02-2010 at 10:16 AM.

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