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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2013 1:44:21 GMT -1
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-22295490I know Archie Dickson, have done for ten years or so. Always presented as a decent bloke, a musician and a teacher. Hale fellow, well met, sociable, pleasant, extremely handsome, charismatic and on the face of it, a good guy. So I'm in some weird kind of shock that he would have been so fucking stupid as to take to the wheel of his car when unfit to drive. He has killed a young man. Somehow I doubt the punishment handed down in the court (and it will be the jail, I'm certain) could be worse than what Archie now has to live with, on his conscience. What a terrible thing he has done. (BTW, In my younger days I wouldn't have dared inveigle someone's car keys off their person but I've done it many a time since. There's no excuse WHAT SO EVER for drunk driving. If you can afford to drink, you can afford a cab home. END OF.)
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Post by ozneil on Apr 27, 2013 2:45:02 GMT -1
What a catastrophe for both families. so needless
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Post by notanimby on Apr 27, 2013 7:13:09 GMT -1
I suppose the only "decent" thing to come out of this, is that he did own up eventually
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2013 19:21:54 GMT -1
Hmmm, I know what you mean, given the court report about him calling the police himself when he heard a boy had been killed...but..........I mean, he KNEW he'd hit someone that night, because he stopped and got out----- AND he KNEW he got into a badly damaged car to fire down to Nick's the next evening.....
Look, I bet everyone here has done stupid things when we've had a few too many.....but we all know FINE WELL getting behind the wheel's a mistake too far.
As Oz says, needless, needless tragedy.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2013 23:22:53 GMT -1
postscript: Archie was sentenced the other day to four years and four months in the jail.
It doesn't seem very much somehow, given that a boy has been killed. But G*d only knows his punishment will last a lifetime. He did a terrible thing.
(Westie, I think you might know who I mean, he's a mate of Ted McKenna's)...
I think personally we should give it no alcohol at all when driving. Limits/nonsense are so variable, people don't understand them, and we're all affected differently at different times due to tiredness, hormones, whatever. Just cut it out completely if we're driving, yeah?
And that goes for drugs as well. Which might likely take out a whole bunch of people who drive when on even prescribed medications......
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Post by bormes on Jun 1, 2013 8:17:18 GMT -1
All the rules and limits will not change BAD driving. I notice absolutely loads of it daily, little things like not indicating, going through red lights inconsiderate parking just to name a few. I do not think a totally nil limit is sensible as there are many reasons why someone might have a taint on their breath, however I do not condone anyone driving with enough drink to affect their driving ability. We have the anti speed nutters, yet speed in the correct place does no harm, speed in the wrong place or at the wrong time is a killer, however that becomes bad driving. The overtaking lane on motorways are no longer that, they have become the haunt of the self appointed police driver, the dangerous pricks who will not move over despite not even doing the speed limit, they are a danger to all and cause traffic build ups and even accidents. Regards Archie, I find it hard to believe he did not know what he hit, if he did not then perhaps he was not just over the limit but actually pushed and if he was, he deserved a much harsher sentence than the one he received. He will be out in around two years, that is not much no matter his age. I also suspect that he drove exceptionally badly and even sober would have struck the poor lad.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2013 23:44:25 GMT -1
I do not think a totally nil limit is sensible as there are many reasons why someone might have a taint on their breath, however I do not condone anyone driving with enough drink to affect their driving ability. We have the anti speed nutters, yet speed in the correct place does no harm, speed in the wrong place or at the wrong time is a killer, however that becomes bad driving. The overtaking lane on motorways are no longer that, they have become the haunt of the self appointed police driver, the dangerous pricks who will not move over despite not even doing the speed limit, they are a danger to all and cause traffic build ups and even accidents. Regards Archie, I find it hard to believe he did not know what he hit, if he did not then perhaps he was not just over the limit but actually pushed and if he was, he deserved a much harsher sentence than the one he received. He will be out in around two years, that is not much no matter his age. I also suspect that he drove exceptionally badly and even sober would have struck the poor lad. Well I don't agree, Bormes, I think we need to instil a nil drink, nil drugs policy on all drivers. I know what you're getting at re speed, being au fait with (particularly German) motorways. Scary-- yet somehow thrilling, to be honest... It's just that you always get some folks who speed in the wrong place at the wrong time, as you say... Re Archie, I think he's on a life sentence, no matter how much time he's behind bars. But whatever pain he feels won't atone in any way for the loss of that young man and the grief of his family and friends. Too many lives ruined by a moment of utter stupidity.
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Post by ozneil on Jun 4, 2013 0:03:42 GMT -1
When you have a drink or 3 your judgement goes. I reckon nil alcohol or drugs. Immediate loss of licence for a substantial period if caught. No excuses
It is exhilarating to travel at speed. Out west the roads ask for it , long long straights virtually no traffic. Speed just builds up till you suddenly realise you are travelling in excess of 100mph, dangerous but quite a buzz.
At night you see headlights on horizon then 10 to 15 minutes later you pass each other , both travelling about 60mph.
On some main highways here you pass 2 -3 cars or trucks an hour nearly always exchange waves
I found UK & European roads very crowded.
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Post by bormes on Jun 4, 2013 16:59:10 GMT -1
You can not have Nil, there can be traces from food or sweets or puddings etc., but a very low amount would be ok. However bad driving is the main cause, not drink, drugs nor speeding for the cause of most accidents. That does in no way suggest we should allow these things to happen, just a reminder, it is always bad driving in most cases.
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Post by ozneil on Jun 4, 2013 20:58:17 GMT -1
You can not have Nil, there can be traces from food or sweets or puddings etc., but a very low amount would be ok. However bad driving is the main cause, not drink, drugs nor speeding for the cause of most accidents. That does in no way suggest we should allow these things to happen, just a reminder, it is always bad driving in most cases. Point taken. Bad drivers plus booze is worser
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2013 22:13:22 GMT -1
Yeah, I get your point as well, Bormes, being a lover of the odd sherry trifle, NOTA.... ;D
But seriously, if we had a nil-drink nil-drugs policy in force then yeah that becomes the benchmark, rather than this silly confusion over 'how much' a person can drink before being over the limit. Surely we should be aiming at a NIL limit?
As I said before it varies so much person to person: whether you've eaten, your BMI, your general state of health: all those factors that influence how 'drunk' or 'drugged' you get on supposedly measurable nonsense.
One night many eons ago now, Mr Rolo got the call that his father about 60 at the time, had been in a car accident. We fired down pretty quick sharp on the plane to Manc the next morning to the hospital.
He'd driven into a wall in his workplace carpark at speed. It was me that found the stash of sleeping pills in one of his pockets. I kept QT about that till he recovered and got home, then I told who needed to know. He was fucking lucky he didn't kill somebody.
Like you say, Oz, judgement's impaired under the influence. So I say, nil drink, nil drugs as the bottom line.
If we can afford a night out, we shirley need to factor in a cost for getting home safe.
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Post by notanimby on Jun 5, 2013 10:30:55 GMT -1
You can not have Nil, there can be traces from food or sweets or puddings etc., but a very low amount would be ok. However bad driving is the main cause, not drink, drugs nor speeding for the cause of most accidents. That does in no way suggest we should allow these things to happen, just a reminder, it is always bad driving in most cases. Exactly, having a zero limit is impossible, not only for reasons above, alcohol appears in the body naturally too and varies from person to person
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2013 19:00:00 GMT -1
Not sure I get that, Nota, how does that work? Does it also mean that you could have only one or two nonsense and still be over the limit?
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Post by notanimby on Jun 5, 2013 21:15:20 GMT -1
Not sure I get that, Nota, how does that work? Does it also mean that you could have only one or two nonsense and still be over the limit? Alcohol occurs in body naturally, it varies from person to person, mostly negligable amounts but it does vary widely - this could push people over limit unwittingly, if They had eaten or drank anything with some I alcohol in it, like trifle, mouthwash rum babas etc etc etc Just the same as people of different rates of absorption of it into their system
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Post by bormes on Jun 6, 2013 7:24:21 GMT -1
Absolutely correct nota.
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