Drink Driving Responsibility

[blackdoggg]

Okay, so I was having a discussion with someone earlier this evening.
The issue was, drink driving, say when a bunch of people pile into a car, everyones loaded, driver included. (Drink driving all your mates home from the pub).
On the drunken trip home there is a crash, some people are obviously injured to certain degrees, some maybe worse.

Now my question for you all is, and theres the poll above, who is at blame? He believed that the driver was 99.9% to blame, and everyone else are the victims.

My arguement is that you all chose to drive home drunk, its not wholly the drivers fault, yes they had the wheel, but you did hop into the car. I strongly do not believe the driver can be given full responsibilty, all the parties did chose to be there, and lets face it, if there hopping in the car with a drink driver, they would most likely have driven anyway given the opportunity.

Well thats my thoughts, was wondering what all you guys believe, and why you hold that opinion. Is it fully the drivers fault, did everyone play there part, or a different opinion on the scenario.

I would like to note that i am not condoning drink driving AT ALL. Or any intoxicated driving for that matter.

[Kikki]

its not wholly the drivers fault

Yes it is.... the "driver" chose to put others lives at risk, he/she is to blame. Not just that but the drivers ability on the road changes after consuming alcohol, driver error etc.

[gopher]

the driver is mostly at fault but his passengers need to take some blame also.
they should have stopped him from driving but at the end of the day the driver made the decision to drive

[Garth]

anyone who drives home drunk is a idiot, and deserves to not have a licence.

anyone who hopps into a car with a driver who is under the influance, also is a idiot, and deserves not to sit in a car ever again.

seriously i dont care what anyone says, both are just as bad as each other.

[Rolla_Rolla']

its not just the driver at fault, yes he is the one with the car, and yes he is the driver (responsibility) but all the other drunken tools, jump in the car with him/her as well, thus putting everyone at fault

garth has a good point ^^

[VicCop]

This is going to be one short and to the point thread.

I propped someone on the freeway recently after zapping him on the laser at 165 km/h. He got out of the car, stank of booze and had three mates in the car. He blew well over twice the limit and was on a P licence which was suspended.

He tried to say it was his mates that urged him into driving and going that fast. That was quickly met with "Your mates aren't the ones with an accelerator under their foot".

[blackdoggg]

Yeah probs will be short, just wanted to understand some others views, and see what you all thought generally. Seeing as im blindly of one obvious opinon here
Wow 165 and loaded? Man thats scary tbh. Kinda lucky you caught him before something happened, like the billboards lol :P

[Grennan]

Im going to say the driver is at fault.

Hes the one with the keys. Clearly if the passengers are pretty pissed their judgement has long gone out the window. They wont be able to gauge how much the driver has had to drink. The driver is just going to tell them hes right and the drunks are going to believe him or her.

End of the day its the driver who's going to be in the shit so its his or her responsibility to make sure they are driving whilst over the limit.

[dirt drifter]

Okay, so I was having a discussion with someone earlier this evening.
The issue was, drink driving, say when a bunch of people pile into a car, everyones loaded, driver included. (Drink driving all your mates home from the pub).
On the drunken trip home there is a crash, some people are obviously injured to certain degrees, some maybe worse.

Now my question for you all is, and theres the poll above, who is at blame? He believed that the driver was 99.9% to blame, and everyone else are the victims.

My arguement is that you all chose to drive home drunk, its not wholly the drivers fault, yes they had the wheel, but you did hop into the car. I strongly do not believe the driver can be given full responsibilty, all the parties did chose to be there, and lets face it, if there hopping in the car with a drink driver, they would most likely have driven anyway given the opportunity.

Well thats my thoughts, was wondering what all you guys believe, and why you hold that opinion. Is it fully the drivers fault, did everyone play there part, or a different opinion on the scenario.

I would like to note that i am not condoning drink driving AT ALL. Or any intoxicated driving for that matter.

i'm with u on this one, after a drinking session everyone is pretty well going to be as trashed as each other, therefore anyone silly enough to jump in a car with someone they have just been on the piss with has to know that the driver is in a similar state to them.
if no one in the group tried to persuade the rest to walk home, get a cab or throw the keys on the pub roof thats just pissweak.
if something bad was to happen on the way home im sure everyone involved, driver, passengers, those smart enough not to get in the car to start with would be blaming themselves big time

[MikesCalais]

Full responsibility on the driver.

When you've had a fair bit to drink (and by that I mean ALOT) youre not going to say 'Hold on a minute, before I get into the car, how much have you had to drink? are you really ok to drive or should we just call a cab?

obviously that seems like the logical thing to think/say... but who's logical when theyre drunk?

If you know you're driving/going to be driving, its your responsibility NOT to drink, or to MAKE SURE you're well under the limit (e.g. one beer 2 hours before driving).

I think the best option is to just take a cab, but really when youre in that state, like I said, the best option isnt always the one that comes to mind

[BecStar]

My opinion is that everyone is at fault to some extent, the driver of course because they were at the wheel while drunk and had an accident, no matter how big or small. But the passengers are taking their own lives at risk by getting into a car with someone thats prepared to drink drive. I personally would rather walk or get a taxi, even call my mum because I'm lucky enough to have her live in the same town as I do lol

Who cares about 'ohh my mates pressured me into it' or 'couldn't be ****ed waiting for a taxi' I'd rather wait for a cab than have to either end up at the cop shop or in hospital.. or dead.

But as said before, people's judgement is different when under the influence, its just whether good judgement comes through over bad judgement.

[mz81vs]

While i think the driver is at 100 % fault if an accident occurs while driving under the influence, if you get into a car with a drunk driver...well then i'm sorry but it's your own fault if something happens to you. Personally I will not be in a car where the driver has consumed any alcohol at all. Even one drink can impair your driving so if i'm even thinking of drinking, i will not then go and try to drive a car once i've got alcohol in my system. Not even now i'm off my P's and legally could have one. So for anyone that gets into the car when they know the driver had been drinking and is possibly drunk, is well and truly and idiot. And if an accident happened then you can only blame yourself for jumping in the car in the first place.

[Juztin]

He tried to say it was his mates that urged him into driving and going that fast. That was quickly met with "Your mates aren't the ones with an accelerator under their foot".

Can I sit in the cop car and quote every stupid thing I hear in a night from people who get pulled over please =P

I say the Driver 75% Passengers 25%.

[calais24/7]

To the OP i understand where your comming from. But like Mike said, who is going to stop and think about getting a cab or if they are well over the limit when they are already shitfaced. I reckon its all of their fault, yes the driver was DOI but if it wasnt him/her it would of been another mate

[ari666]

drink driving rules in this country are pathetic and clearly a revenue raising initiative.

0.08 should be the limit as it is in england, which is two pints in the first hour and one every hour after that. 0.05 just means you can have a bottle and a half of beer in the first hour and half a beer every hour after that... half a beer? who has the self control to stop halfway through a beer?

also p's and legal age of drinking should be offset. i.e. p's at 16 and drinking at 18 so kids dont get access to both on the same day.

anyway. if a bunch of people pile into a car, drunk or not they are all idiots.

[f1tzy]

It is 100% the drivers fault, the passengers are just ****ing stupid

[burnz]

drivers fault.
as for passengers well stupid.

maybe should have spilt the fare on a taxi.

(checken Vs egg law "who came first" ) their are no passengers, if their is no driver...

[VKCOMMO]

anyone who drives home drunk is a idiot, and deserves to not have a licence.

anyone who hopps into a car with a driver who is under the influance, also is a idiot, and deserves not to sit in a car ever again.

seriously i dont care what anyone says, both are just as bad as each other.

i agree on that, your a daft idiot if you go and hop in a car with a drunk driver

[redrags]

drivers fault. cant have passengers without a driver. its black and white., absolutely no grey i dont even see why this thread is here and its not only the driver and passengers who it can affect its everybody else as well, its not worth risking your lisence for 3 months over as well people should just wake up and not drink drive. simple

[minux]

anyone who drives home drunk is a idiot, and deserves to not have a licence.

So if i drive to the pub drunk all is good?

I drink drive all the time, its great having a .05 limit, would really suck arse if i couldnt have a couple of cold brews on a hot day then drive.

[burnz]

So if i drive to the pub drunk all is good?

I drink drive all the time, its great having a .05 limit, would really suck arse if i couldnt have a couple of cold brews on a hot day then drive.

isn't that a washing powder??

[Julie]

Drivers fault but there is an onus on people to have some personal responsibility, I feel no sympathy for anyone who knowingly gets into a car with someone they know to be drunk when things go wrong and they get in an accident or worse. I feel they are just as bloody stupid as the idiot driving.

[Head_is]

I believe it is the drivers fault but if the drunken passengers got in there knowing that thew driver was drunk and that if he didn't drive one of them would have then I can't really say it's their fault but they are bloody idiots!!! Depends on all sorts of circumstances i guess