France's bold drink driving legislation - every car to carry a breathalyzer
85 replies, posted
[QUOTE=GeneralFredrik;34898913]Let's just fix cars that drive without humans behind the steering wheel. Then I might feel safe on the fucking road.[/QUOTE]Modern airliners can make the entire flight solely on autopilot, but would you board one that had no pilot?
[editline]27th February 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=McCarthy;34901411]Oh god, so you're one of those people who pull into the fast lane to pass a guy going 65 by going 66, leaving me who was going 80 to have to slam on the brakes and wait while you slowly wander past him, stay in my lane for an extended period only to finally cruise back in to the slow lane.[/QUOTE]
If you have to slam on your brakes because of such things you aren't looking far enough ahead. You shouldn't have to do more than merely lift off the throttle most of the time. Of course there's always idiots that don't use their mirrors and dart out right in front of you, but they're the minority, 99% of the time if you're looking just a quarter of a mile ahead of you you need not do more than lift.
Also, you should be going with the flow, and if the flow is doing 65 you should be doing 65.
[QUOTE=McCarthy;34901594]Why the fuck not? what gives you the right to determine how fast i go? Speed limits were set for the most part in the 1950's-1960's during a time when there was a fuel crisis and cars were much less safe at speed than today.[/QUOTE]
Get in an accident going 80 mph and we'll have this talk again.
Assuming you aren't a vegetable.
[QUOTE=GeneralFredrik;34898913]Let's just fix cars that drive without humans behind the steering wheel. Then I might feel safe on the fucking road.[/QUOTE]
I don't wanna feel safe if it takes human interaction out of the deal
[QUOTE=TestECull;34902174]Modern airliners can make the entire flight solely on autopilot, but would you board one that had no pilot?[/quote]
Aslong as there was someone there with the capability to take over incase of emergancy I would be perfectly fine with that, same with cars.
that one scene from 40 y o virgin, what's stopping anyone else from blowing into the thing?
[QUOTE=McCarthy;34901594]Why the fuck not? what gives you the right to determine how fast i go? Speed limits were set for the most part in the 1950's-1960's during a time when there was a fuel crisis and cars were much less safe at speed than today.[/QUOTE]
Oh god, so you're one of those people that break the speed limit by a huge margin and get mad at people who obey the law and don't go as fast as you?
what happens if you fart in a breathalyzer? does it still pick up on the alcohol?
[QUOTE=GunFox;34899312]Wow, spare bulbs? Really? How fucking ridiculous.
[/QUOTE]
I always have spare bulbs in my car.
Why don't we just have a breathalyzer attached to every vehicle, and you must breathe into it for the vehicle to start, and if it detects that you are over the limit, then it simply won't start.
[QUOTE=Grabigel;34902957]Why don't we just have a breathalyzer attached to every vehicle, and you must breathe into it for the vehicle to start, and if it detects that you are over the limit, then it simply won't start.[/QUOTE]
Because that would be fucking annoying.
[QUOTE=McCarthy;34901411]Oh god, so you're one of those people who pull into the fast lane to pass a guy going 65 by going 66, leaving me who was going 80 to have to slam on the brakes and wait while you slowly wander oast him, stay in my lane for an extended period only to finally cruise back in to the slow lane.[/QUOTE]Adding on to this: If someone in the fast lane is catching up to you and you want to switch to that lane, you should wait for them to pass before switching lanes. If you slow them down by switching to the fast lane and slowly passing the other car you're a douche
[editline]27th February 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=Grabigel;34902957]Why don't we just have a breathalyzer attached to every vehicle, and you must breathe into it for the vehicle to start, and if it detects that you are over the limit, then it simply won't start.[/QUOTE]Cars with breathalyzers take a while to start. You blow into it, start up the car, and then you have to blow into it again. And if you don't blow into it correctly, you gotta wait 10 seconds to try again. It gets really annoying fast, it should only be included with the cars that need it
I personally think we should remove alcohol.
US Prohibition had the right idea but executed it wrong. First, we need to establish a limit on how much someone drinks within a certain timeframe. Make it rather high to start. Then gradually (say every two years) bring it down lower and lower and lower until eventually we make it zero.
Yes there will still be people drinking alcohol illegally. But we won't have the huge surge in crime rate we had last time when we just said "fuck it ALL ALCOHOL IS ILLEGAL PERIOD STARTING NOW".
[QUOTE=lavacano;34905504]I personally think we should remove alcohol.
US Prohibition had the right idea but executed it wrong. First, we need to establish a limit on how much someone drinks within a certain timeframe. Make it rather high to start. Then gradually (say every two years) bring it down lower and lower and lower until eventually we make it zero.
Yes there will still be people drinking alcohol illegally. But we won't have the huge surge in crime rate we had last time when we just said "fuck it ALL ALCOHOL IS ILLEGAL PERIOD STARTING NOW".[/QUOTE]
why alcohol owns
[QUOTE=Grabigel;34902957]Why don't we just have a breathalyzer attached to every vehicle, and you must breathe into it for the vehicle to start, and if it detects that you are over the limit, then it simply won't start.[/QUOTE]
because then i couldn't drive while drunk
[QUOTE=lavacano;34905504]I personally think we should remove alcohol.
US Prohibition had the right idea but executed it wrong. First, we need to establish a limit on how much someone drinks within a certain timeframe. Make it rather high to start. Then gradually (say every two years) bring it down lower and lower and lower until eventually we make it zero.
Yes there will still be people drinking alcohol illegally. But we won't have the huge surge in crime rate we had last time when we just said "fuck it ALL ALCOHOL IS ILLEGAL PERIOD STARTING NOW".[/QUOTE]
Why should I be forced to stop drinking because of a small minority of drinkers that choose to drive intoxicated?
[QUOTE=Tigster;34902318]Oh god, so you're one of those people that break the speed limit by a huge margin and get mad at people who obey the law and don't go as fast as you?[/QUOTE]
I break the speed limit when i am not at a risk of harming anyone but myself. if theres traffic, if it's slightly congested i'm most certainly not one of those annoying assholes that tailgate when you clearly have no were to go aka stuck in traffic
[QUOTE=Tigster;34902318]Oh god, so you're one of those people that break the speed limit by a huge margin and get mad at people who obey the law and don't go as fast as you?[/QUOTE]
this is pretty dumb. when you're on the interstate going through the middle of nowhere and there's absolutely no traffic there is no reason you shouldn't be able to go 90+
[QUOTE=MrEndangered;34899394]I agree with you otherwise, but I see nothing wrong with spare bulbs. I see too many people with some of their tail lights missing, and it's not like cheap bulbs cost anything.[/QUOTE]
On some cars you'd literally need a shop to change certain lightbulbs.
I have to remove the car battery to change one of the headlight bulbs on my car, and I'll need two different sized wrenches and a big Philips screwdriver to change the tail light bulbs.
And I'm forced to halfway disassemble the trunk lid to change the license plate light bulbs.
That said I DO have both tools and extra bulbs in my car, just stating that you can't expect the average citizen to have any use for them since they'll most likely be completely clueless with tools in their hands.
My vehicle has lights that shine INWARDS onto a mirror system that puts lights back out. Goodluck changing that on the side of the road.
[QUOTE=JohnFisher89;34898940]HAHA you stupid drunks
this will be an easy circumvent
"hey kid want to make five pounds? Blow into this for me"[/QUOTE]
You're not required to use it, only to have it. It's not an ignition lock, which is sometimes installed in a DUI offender.
[QUOTE=wewt!;34898934]Err, the plastic mouthpiece is the only thing you replace, the device itself stays[/QUOTE]
Nah they're disposable, as in the whole kit is. I'm assuming there some safeguard. Surely they wouldn't have left such a big loophole.
[QUOTE=GunFox;34899312]Wow, spare bulbs? Really? How fucking ridiculous. [/quote]
WTF? How is that ridiculous? It's brilliant. If you get pulled over, the police can have the expectation that you fix it on the spot. There is a proper educated driving culture in Europe. None of the crap that you see in America, that being keeping right instead of left, failing to indicate, and driving all over the place.
People use the right lanes, have the right equipment, and it's reflective in the road tolls (bar Poland), especially on the motorways. It's also reflective in their enforcement.
[QUOTE=GunFox;34899312]Speed cameras should be illegal to begin with. There are a thousand reasons to temporarily increase your speed beyond the legal limit. None of which can be determined by the camera. [/quote]
Bullcrap. There aren't a "thousand reason to temporarily increase your speed beyond the legal limit". The speed limit is a speed limit, not a recommended speed. You don't need to be driving at the speed limit. There are some reasons, but not many.
If you keep accidentally or intentionally increasing your speed over the speed limit, you are doing something wrong.
[QUOTE=GunFox;34899312]You are either wasted to the point where it will show in your driving, or you aren't. Chances are, if you are enough gone to be pulled over or cause an accident, you don't need a fucking breathalyzer to tell you that.[/QUOTE]
Huh? This is so unbelievably stupid.
Instead of just guessing, guess what, you have a breathalyser to tell you! Maybe, you might save yourself or someone else from getting into an accident.
[editline]28th February 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=DOG-GY;34906046]this is pretty dumb. when you're on the interstate going through the middle of nowhere and there's absolutely no traffic there is no reason you shouldn't be able to go 90+[/QUOTE]
Except for the roads might not have been designed for such high speeds. What about the gradients, the banks or angles of the the turns.
There needs to be a speed limit set, especially in a country with no driver training whatsoever, such as the US, because people will get themselves into situations they cannot handle.
The speed limits are generally set at the 80th percentile of traffic.
[QUOTE=ButtsexV3;34902246]I don't wanna feel safe if it takes human interaction out of the deal[/QUOTE]
You don't want to feel safe it you can't drive it? You know how many people die in car accidents?
People are reckless creatures who doesn't know their limits.
Example A:
[QUOTE=McCarthy;34901594]Why the fuck not? what gives you the right to determine how fast i go? Speed limits were set for the most part in the 1950's-1960's during a time when there was a fuel crisis and cars were much less safe at speed than today.[/QUOTE]
A classic example.
People are one of the biggest reasons why things go bonkers in traffic. It can be overconfident, causing drivers to go waay beyond what they can handle. It can be people using cellphones, eating, not paying attention, driving when sleepy. The list goes on.
So I'd rather have a computer that can react in a split second then some human that takes a second to realise that they have to use the brakes. Then press the damm thing and control it.
[QUOTE=DogGunn;34906172]Except for the roads might not have been designed for such high speeds. What about the gradients, the banks or angles of the the turns.
There needs to be a speed limit set, especially in a country with no driver training whatsoever, such as the US, because people will get themselves into situations they cannot handle.
The speed limits are generally set at the 80th percentile of traffic.[/QUOTE]
Cool job shitting on US drivers multiple times. It's an interstate. They're designed for high speeds. You could easily drive 120 in many locations.
[QUOTE=GunFox;34899587]
Ever been a small car on the freeway with 18 wheelers? There are plenty of reasons to speed up and overtake certain vehicles.[/QUOTE]
its still illegal
[QUOTE=DOG-GY;34906262]Cool job shitting on US drivers multiple times. It's an interstate. They're designed for high speeds. You could easily drive 120 in many locations.[/QUOTE]
I've lived in the US. I actually just came back from being in the US less than a week ago, which included travelling all around America and using the interstate system.
Americans, cannot drive for the life of them. They keep left, when they should be keeping right. They tailgate. They brake for no reason at all.
This isn't their fault. I was speaking to a few of my mates there. They basically get a bit of plastic and they're off. There's no decent driving test or required training like there is in Europe.
You can't have high speeds on those roads if you can't drive properly (and that means more than just keeping in your lane). Sure, you could easily drive 120 on the interstate roads, but not if there are drivers scattered all over the place, because they don't know how to drive - it's just completely unsafe.
I don't see how this would stop anyone from drink driving, if I am wasted I am not going to waste my time blowing into a breathalyser, if anything I would use it as a projectile at some unfortunate person. And besides it would probably be ignored and the only person to catch you would be the police who carry them anyway.
[QUOTE=DogGunn;34906172]
WTF? How is that ridiculous? It's brilliant. If you get pulled over, the police can have the expectation that you fix it on the spot.[/quote]
Oh, right, so I'm going to whip out a set of screwdrivers, a portable garage door and a hefty headlight and change it on the side of the road at three in the morning while pouring rain threatens to fry my entire electrical system.
It is ridiculous to expect people to just change their bulb on the spot. You can't always do that. My headlights take about 20 minutes to change, and they must be re-aimed. My bulbs are anything but compact either, they're about six inches wide, five deep, four high. Changing one on the side of the road just isn't an option.
[quote] that being keeping right instead of left[/quote] Driving on the right = Slower traffic keeps right. Driving on the left = slower traffic keeps left. Bet you can't guess which side of the road America drives on.
[quote] failing to indicate[/quote] You're supposed to use them here, too. [quote]and driving all over the place.[/quote] We're no more 'all over the place' than Europe is.
[quote]People use the right lanes, have the right equipment, and it's reflective in the road tolls (bar Poland), especially on the motorways.[/quote] A nation of 325 million does not directly compare well to a nation of no more than 35 million. You need to look at it per-capita, and per-capita our roads are no more dangerous than yours.
[quote] It's also reflective in their enforcement.[/quote] What, cops can be dicks and force people who wouldn't know a spanner from a tire iron to try to change safety equipment on the side of the road?
There's some people out there too dumb to fuel their fucking car up. I don't want them even [i]thinking[/i] about trying to turn a wrench on it. The system we have now works just fine, give them a fixit ticket and they can do it theirselves when they get home, or take it to the dealer/a shop and have it done professionally, and they can do so in safety and comfort.
[QUOTE=squids_eye;34902288]Aslong as there was someone there with the capability to take over incase of emergancy I would be perfectly fine with that, same with cars.[/QUOTE]
So basically, no. That person who can take over in an emergency would be a pilot, thus, you would insist a pilot be on board the airplane. You wouldn't trust your life to [i]just[/i] the computers.[QUOTE=GeneralFredrik;34906238]
People are one of the biggest reasons why things go bonkers in traffic. It can be overconfident, causing drivers to go waay beyond what they can handle. It can be people using cellphones, eating, not paying attention, driving when sleepy. The list goes on.
So I'd rather have a computer that can react in a split second then some human that takes a second to realise that they have to use the brakes. Then press the damm thing and control it.[/QUOTE]
And ten years down the line the radar sensor the car uses to judge distance to the one in front of it fails. That car then smashes into the one in front at 70MPH because the computer assumed there was nothing there at all. Or perhaps there's a batch of defective control boxes that go out and aren't programmed properly, causing the cars to go way too fucking fast and slide right off the road into a tree. Or maybe the vehicle speed sensor is failing, reading 25MPH lower than it should, and the computers blindly blast the speed right up until they run into something. Or, you could get one of those fools I mentioned above that can't even work a gas pump. They get it in their idea to service it themselves, do so improperly, and a malfunction leads to a horrible crash.
Computers aren't infallible either. Don't assume they are.
Honestly I don't know why we aren't trying to fix the actual problem. The problem is bad drivers. Get the bad ones off the road or turn them into good ones. Giving them more electronics to rely on isn't going to fix the problem, it's but a bandaid.
[QUOTE=Rombishead;34906299]I don't see how this would stop anyone from drink driving, if I am wasted I am not going to waste my time blowing into a breathalyser, if anything I would use it as a projectile at some unfortunate person. And besides it would probably be ignored and the only person to catch you would be the police who carry them anyway.[/QUOTE]
The idea is to remind drivers. This is going to cost the average person in France almost nothing to carry one, and yet, it could save hundreds of thousands of Euros, either by reminding people not to drive when drunk (stopping a potential major accident), or actually allow a person to be informed of their intoxication.
[QUOTE=TestECull;34906309]
And ten years down the line the radar sensor the car uses to judge distance to the one in front of it fails. That car then smashes into the one in front at 70MPH because the computer assumed there was nothing there at all. Or perhaps there's a batch of defective control boxes that go out and aren't programmed properly, causing the cars to go way too fucking fast and slide right off the road into a tree. Or maybe the vehicle speed sensor is failing, reading 25MPH lower than it should, and the computers blindly blast the speed right up until they run into something. Or, you could get one of those fools I mentioned above that can't even work a gas pump. They get it in their idea to service it themselves, do so improperly, and a malfunction leads to a horrible crash.
Computers aren't infallible either. Don't assume they are.
Honestly I don't know why we aren't trying to fix the actual problem. The problem is bad drivers. Get the bad ones off the road or turn them into good ones. Giving them more electronics to rely on isn't going to fix the problem, it's but a bandaid.[/QUOTE]
Of course accidents will happen, but the ratio of people dying today of drivers is presumably a hell of a lot worse then using computers. Also, if they can't even work a gas pump, then they haven't got a driving license/ whatever is needed when those cars are available.
The bad drivers is just the icing on the cake. Good drivers can get cocky and kill themselfs as well. You can get speedblindess etc.
[QUOTE=TestECull;34906309]Oh, right, so I'm going to whip out a set of screwdrivers, a portable garage door and a hefty headlight and change it on the side of the road at three in the morning while pouring rain threatens to fry my entire electrical system.
It is ridiculous to expect people to just change their bulb on the spot. You can't always do that. My headlights take about 20 minutes to change, and they must be re-aimed. My bulbs are anything but compact either, they're about six inches wide, five deep, four high. Changing one on the side of the road just isn't an option.[/quote]
It is not ridiculous to expect a person to change a bulb. You're absolutely right about things like re-aiming, or even needing a screwdriver for older cars, but that doesn't mean anything. There are always going to be technicalities, and all you've done is shown that it's okay to be lazy. Expecting people to be able to replace the bulb isn't unreasonable at all.
[QUOTE=TestECull;34906309]Driving on the right = Slower traffic keeps right. Driving on the left = slower traffic keeps left. Bet you can't guess which side of the road America drives on.[/quote]
Woah so sorry - I live in a country where we drive on the other side, but that doesn't really change what I was trying to say, only getting right and left mixed up.
[QUOTE=TestECull;34906309]We're no more 'all over the place' than Europe is.[/quote]
These issues stem from a lack of driver training and culture. America is indeed more "all over the place" than Europe is. You'll find strict enforcement of speed and positioning that you don't see in America. Infact many counties have such a large optional discretion (given to the officers), that they can start fining at the point you'd lose your licence in the UK.
[QUOTE=TestECull;34906309]A nation of 325 million does not directly compare well to a nation of no more than 35 million. You need to look at it per-capita, and per-capita our roads are no more dangerous than yours.[/quote]
What do you think I'm referring to. The US's road toll per 100,000 people is substantially worse than much of Western Europe's. One study puts the US at 12.3 road fatalities per 100,000 per year, compared to the UK's 3.59 or France's 6.9, just to give you an example of course. There are other European countries that are lower France.
[QUOTE=TestECull;34906309]What, cops can be dicks and force people who wouldn't know a spanner from a tire iron to try to change safety equipment on the side of the road? [/quote]
I don't disagree with you about some being too dumb, but there is a whole different culture in Europe. There are expectations or requirements that you are able to perform fairly average tasks, such as driving a manual car, replace the oil, replace a wheel, etc.
To expect someone to carry and be able to replace a bulb in their car is not unreasonable.
[QUOTE=DogGunn;34906172]
Except for the roads might not have been designed for such high speeds. What about the gradients, the banks or angles of the the turns.
There needs to be a speed limit set, especially in a country with no driver training whatsoever, such as the US, because people will get themselves into situations they cannot handle.
The speed limits are generally set at the 80th percentile of traffic.[/QUOTE]
you've probably only seen one state, yes i agree in some states people are completely shitty at driving here in america but in states say like alaska people are actually intelligent and use chains on their wheels to keep control during winter and apply their knowledge of roads and such. Other states like texas people are dumb as fuck and can't drive for shit. I know this because I lived in both states and between the transition of the two states texas is in my opinion the worst drivers. So before you go automatically blaming the united states for shitty driving actually do research, not all the states have bad drivers.
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