Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Driving under the legal limit? Doesn't matter, your vehicle is impounded anyway.

jammies · 11-23-2011, 08:49 PM

Ever driven when you were tired or sick? With crappy wipers in a huge storm? On summer tires when there was an early snowfall? With a temporary spare on? With a drink or a snack in one hand? With the music pumped loud enough to shake the car? When you were on the phone? Are you too short or too tall compared to the ideal person the car is designed for?

Any of those, and plenty of other common situations "impair' your driving. Sanctimonious bleating about how 0 drinks is the only correct amount to have before driving is an argument of fools; there is such a thing as an acceptable level of risk, and the point of making the law .08 BAC is that this is where we've decided the risk goes from acceptable to unacceptable.

Life entails a certain amount of danger; the law should be there to help minimize that danger by focusing on deterring high-risk behaviour while leaving low-risk behaviour at the citizenry's discretion. Overly stringent laws breed resentment and contempt for the law, which is far worse than the minor ills such regulations purport to address.

11-23-2011, 08:49 PM	#196
jammies Basement Chicken Choker Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: In a land without pants, or war, or want. But mostly we care about the pants. Exp:	Ever driven when you were tired or sick? With crappy wipers in a huge storm? On summer tires when there was an early snowfall? With a temporary spare on? With a drink or a snack in one hand? With the music pumped loud enough to shake the car? When you were on the phone? Are you too short or too tall compared to the ideal person the car is designed for? Any of those, and plenty of other common situations "impair' your driving. Sanctimonious bleating about how 0 drinks is the only correct amount to have before driving is an argument of fools; there is such a thing as an acceptable level of risk, and the point of making the law .08 BAC is that this is where we've decided the risk goes from acceptable to unacceptable. Life entails a certain amount of danger; the law should be there to help minimize that danger by focusing on deterring high-risk behaviour while leaving low-risk behaviour at the citizenry's discretion. Overly stringent laws breed resentment and contempt for the law, which is far worse than the minor ills such regulations purport to address. __________________ Better educated sadness than oblivious joy.