I Am F***ed

[91CelicaGTI]

So yeah, basically I am F***ed.

Driving home from the pub Sunday night after having 2 pints, I went via a 24 hour garage to get some !Removed!. On the way home I came up to a T junction. As I changed down and started to brake the ABS cut in and I started to slide.

I let off and got back on the brake but the same happened. I slid across the junction and hit a concrete post that was holding up a chain link fence. I then slid under the fence and came to a stop. with the fence and what remained of the post on top of my car.

After about 5 mins and a lot of swearing (I think even a sailor would have blushed) the car came out from under the fence. As no one else was involved I drove home intending to report it in the morning. Well to say that didn't happen is an understatement. I had been at home for about 5 mins when the old bill turned up.

A couple of questions later and one failed breathalyser and I was on my way to the nick!

I then had to do another breath test on a calibrated machine.

As I expect most of you know the legal limit is 35mg. You are also allowed to have a test score of up to 39mg, if you get 39 or under you walk off scott free.

No guesses what I got. F***in 40. 1 over! I went mental! so the only other option was the blood test. So a hour after I was arrested they finally got a doctor in to take some blood. They then released me on bail till the 15th of Jan.

The damage.

One crack in the front bumper, bent hood, scratches on both wings, Two f***ed light units (They wont even go down.) , Scratches all across the roof. and a couple of chips in the spoiler.

My question is...

Is this enough to write it off?

At what rate does alcohol leave your blood stream?

They took the blood at about 1:15. I finished my second pint at about 11.30. I had my first at about 9:20.

All i can say is :censor: :censor: :censor: :censor:

[Fidgits]

I'm gutted about your car mate.

And I will avoid passing judgement on the drink-driving...

[Nicola]

This could turn into a big drink drive thread.

Drinking seriously impairs judgement and most people think 2 pints is ok, when for many it clearly isn't.

I will not go into a big rant about drinking and driving, but I am against it.

I am glad there were no people near the fence.

Sounds like your car might be ok. Is the insurance company going to inspect it?

Hope its just surface damage.

[dazwan]

According to my missus Alcohol clears the bloodstream at a rate of 20 mins for the first unit and then 1 unit per hour after that (1 unit ~ 0.5 pints). So if you had 2 pints of WEAK bitter that's at least 4 units. Seeing as most beer is stronger these days, you could have had as much as twice as many units without realising it, this would explain the higher than expected result.

The best thing to do when you are driving these days is to limit yourself to 1 pint or none at all, but I think most of us have done it so I know how you must be feeling.

I'm gutted for you, both for the prang and the predicament you are in. Hopefully you'll get away with a slap on the wrist and in future you'll remember to either leave the car at home or stick to coke after your 1st pint.

[Yarisboy]

That's very unlucky m8

I know you haven't come here to be lectured on drink driving, it's the last thing you want to hear right now. I don't think anyone should be passing judgement on you about it, because if anyone has learned the hard way it's you right now.

I hope you get away with only a fine.... 9:20 & 11:20 are along time apart and i'm suprised that u failed the breath test for that.

I've known people round here (farmers) who drive home from the local after 6 or 7 pints, granted they only live a mile away tops but that is certainly not on.

It seems the guys that hardly ever have a drink when they've got the car always get caught when they do indulge, sorry to hear about your misfortune m8.

sam

[Karma Supra]

would have thought 2 pints would be fine if you had a dinner n stuff....

unlucky mate!!!!!!

for all those that like a pint or 2 comming up to and around crimbo they are at their strictest. try not to hit things either it draws attention :hokus-pokus:

gutted for ya mate.

[dazwan]

I know what you mean about it being the folk who only do it once who always get caught.

I think it's the same whenever you get outside the towns/cities that there is a hardcore of people who habitually drink all night then drive home with a skin full. What makes things worse is that these people NEVER seem to get pulled!

I hope my last post didn't come across as a lecture. I just wanted to assure you that it's an easy mistake to make due to the fact that most lagers/beers are stonger these days than most people realise. Also there are a lot of urban myths around about beer which only confuses the matter.

I hope whoever reviews this case has the common sense to see that you weren't reckless in your attitude and that you were only marginally over the limit.

[Yarisboy]

he was only very just marginally over the limit as well.

the law isn't clear on drink driving, most of my m8s think 2 pints is the legal limit... they laugh histerically when i assure them it's just the 1.

2 units is all fine and well, but how do you know what 2 units is in a pub when the beers are on draught?

it's labeled like 1.5 units on the back of those smirnoff ice things which makes it a bit easier, but everyone is different and 2 pints to some people will only register as one pint on a breath test.

I think to be safe u just don't drink at all, well that's what I do... but I certainly don't lecture anyone who wants a drink while they're out, I just don't wanna get caught with my pants down in the first 2 years of driving.

[Coyote!]

Oh, I feel bad for the bad moments you had to go throwgh. Thanks God U R ok, not hurt and noone got hurt too. The car... well can be fixed, a broken bone cant

I have a question, what did you say ABS did?

Cheers

Coyote from BA

Argentina.

[Fidgits]

The problem is ice...

ABS only works if the wheel sensors can detect an error, I had a similar experience, when (in a laguna) doing 20mph on a normal street, starting breaking very early for the junction (about 100 metres before), the wheels just locked and the car slid on at 20mph, you let off the brakes and reapply, but the lack of friction means you hardly dissapate any speed.

I was lucky when i got to the junction (still sliding, brakes on, brakes off) I had washed off about 10mph, and just gave the car full left lock and floored it, which pulled the car round the junction.

As for the drink driving, as i said eariler, I will not pass judgement.

[VTRick]

i feel for ya mate. same thing has happened to a friend of mine. except he drove into a police car.... heh.

hopefully youll be all cool with the blood test.

you should have done the old classic of asking to go to the toilet and staying in there untill they come and get you out. buys you some much needed sobering up time..

[Yarisboy]

I'm just saying that I don't think the law is very clear at all in regards to drink driving, not passing judgement at all

to me this sounds like it would have happened if he had a drink inside him or not, it's just very unfair that the insurers and police will see it differently :(

I hope you get off lightly m8

Sam

[dawesy]

life can be so unfair sometimes.

i gather they didnt let you know the result of the breath test?

hope everything is cool and you get away lightly

[dazwan]

I hope they have the common sense to let him off full stop (maybe with a little slap on the wrist).

I know ignorance should be no excuse, but how are we supposed to abide by the law, when all we have to rely on is third hand information.

Maybe it's about time Pubs started sticking signs next to the bar outlining the law (in language easy to understand after a few beers) as well as telling us how strong the drinks are in terms of units per measure.

Ultimately it's the owners of the pubs who should be blamed for all this. After all, it is the pubs that provide parking for cars. The pub near my house even sells itself on the fact it has parking! I mean, how can they say they're not promoting drink driving?

[Coyote!]

Ultimately it's the owners of the pubs who should be blamed for all this. After all, it is the pubs that provide parking for cars. The pub near my house even sells itself on the fact it has parking! I mean, how can they say they're not promoting drink driving?

I disagree a little. The parking offering is not a promotion of drinking and driving, because a bunch of friends that arrive there in a car, may have (or Should have) a designated driver for the night. Its on everyone of us to decide when its safe and when it is not. What happens is that what we understand for safe, may not always match the law. I didn't know that 2 pint would raise to much the level in the blood and woulnt pass the test. Personally I dont trust the gadgets police use to test the alcohol level, so I cant be certain if theyre right or not.

But as I said, Thanks God noone got hurt...

Cheers

Coyote from BA

Argentina

[kaz]

That surprised me I though two pints would have been OK. I don't drink any alcohol when I'm driving as if I have one I'll want more !! so I think NO I won't drink any then I won't be tempted, but my husband who is very careful usually drinks two pints of Larger we thought that was OK?!

I've just told him about your case and he is very surprised as he has been pulled up after having two pints in an evening spanning over 3 hours and was under the limit perhaps he had weaker Larger but after reading this he says he'll only have one in future. We usually take turns in driving or get a cab.

I hope your blood test is negative.

Kaz

[Coyote!]

But the thing is Ladys and Gentlemen that 2 pints or not, were not the cause of the accident. It was the beautifull ICE that made the car slide and the ABS that didnot help much ( ). Dont make him feel bad...

Cheers

Coyote from ba

Argentina

[srd]

bud buzz mate,i know what it's like to get your car ruined this time of year,i was rear ended on new year's eve last year,totaly ruined the whole partying mood,and the girl that hit me did'nt even have an insureance disc displayed,what did the law do???? nothing looked at her driveing licence and told us to go home.

hope you get your motor patched up soon

[yannick]

Just a wee comment in your defence. Since you weren't tested at the time of the accident, they cannot prove that you had the alcohol level at the time. For all they know you took a stiff drink as soon as you got home to calm your nerves before they turned up on your doorstep.

I hope that you can get the car sorted,

Yannick

[yannick]

Ultimately it's the owners of the pubs who should be blamed for all this. After all, it is the pubs that provide parking for cars. The pub near my house even sells itself on the fact it has parking! I mean, how can they say they're not promoting drink driving?

There has recently been a case on this here in France where a bar owner was taken to court for knowingly serving drink to a driver.

In my opinion we are all adults, we are all ultimately responsible for our own decisions, and I wouldn't take kindly to a pub owner refusing to serve me because he thinks that I might be driving some time in the near future.

Don't try to shift the responsibility - take your own decisions!

Yannick

[T V O R]

The bad news:

Guilty of drink driving: Automatic 12 month ban minimum plus a fine. Option of a custodial sentence but unlikely if first offence.

More bad news:

Don’t be surprised that when your insurance company find out about the arrest and drink driving, they don’t pay up for any repairs or claims.

Good news:

You didn’t kill anyone.

Reference the ABS, Why did you release the brakes when the ABS kicked in? You have to keep your foot on the brake pedal as it pulsates to stop. Taking you’re your foot off the brakes effectively means.......... No Brakes!

Maybe due to the alcohol consumption lead to the misjudgement.

Everyone seems to be treating you as though you haven’t done anything wrong. Unfortunately I can’t take your side.

So basically you are F***ed.......... Shame on you.

[Fidgits]

Reference the ABS, Why did you release the brakes when the ABS kicked in? You have to keep your foot on the brake pedal as it pulsates to stop. Taking you’re your foot off the brakes effectively means.......... No Brakes!

Read his post, the car skidded on the ICE, i.e. ABS didnt kick in.

In this case, you are always advised to 'pump' the brakes. I'd advise you read peoples posts before passing comments like you did.

Also, the accident was due to the ice, although it is possible the alcohol may of played a part in his reaction time.

He admitted doing wrong, he did not excuse himself, why should we give him a hard time?

The police and/or courts will treat him as they see fit, we are not in a postition to 'judge'.

[dazwan]

In my opinion we are all adults...

Are we? Are these adults the same prats who drive 6inches off my bumper just because I don't want to speed (and break the law)?

Don't try to shift the responsibility - take your own decisions!

I'm happy to take responsibility for my decisions. Unfortunately there are too many adults out there who should know better, but can't be trusted to make the right decision. As an example see the comment above.

We all know what's right and wrong, it's just that some people out there choose to ignore that.

Anyhow, that point aside, what about pubs clearly labelling how many units a each diffrent brew contains? At least that way we would be able to make an informed decision about whether we want to stay within the law.

[91CelicaGTI]

Thank you all for your comments. I wasn't to sure how my post was going to be received, in fact I was expecting more of the replies to be along the lines of the-voice-of-reason's.

I am not trying to defend what I did, and looking back at it it was a stupid thing to do. But as some people have already said I thought the limit was 2 pints and that I would be ok to drive. I now know that not to be true. The only thing I will say in my defence is at least I was only 1 mg over the limit and not totally trollyed.

Cheers guys and girls.

[Jimlad]

I never drink drive mate... but like yourself I thought the limit was 2 pints also.