Drinking And Driving. (Seems A Big Tolerance Here In The Pi)

[Jollygoodfellow]

 

I don't think we can expect a Filipino barman, bar manager or bar owner to tell anyone - Filipino or foreigner - that he is unfit to drive

 

I have noticed that most of the places where alcoholic foreigners congregate are owed by other foreigners.  I think its the foreign bar owners who are expected to take the keys from drunken foreigners.  Expected by some, anyway, not by me. 

 

 

Bet you would have a different outlook if one of those drunks left the bar, got in a car and ran down your girlfriend in the process of driving home. My point being to turn a blind eye, (none of my business) can have devastating effect on someone else's life and as always unless it affects one personally no one cares. 

[jpbago]

  In some places, (Ontario) servers are required to take a 2 hour course on the effects of alcohol and how to deal with it. They roughly count the number of drinks in a certain time period. Instead of taking the keys away, they just do not serve more alcohol to that person. They offer to call a taxi or a friend to take the person home. They serve coffee, food, or water to get the person to stay to wear off the alcohol. Bars in Ontario are liable if someone has had too many drinks and then an accident.

   Flight attendants also stop serving someone if they think that person has had too much. It is a safety risk.

 

the other jp

[RBM]

I don't think we can expect a Filipino barman, bar manager or bar owner to tell anyone - Filipino or foreigner - that he is unfit to drive , still less to take the keys off him. The loss of face to a macho Filipino would be so great that he might feel compelled to resort to violence, and "who knows if foreigners are different"?

Would disagree here. Surely if the bar owner and or bar tender is pouring the drinks aware that his customer is in an an unfit state to drive he has some responsibility.

I am aware of the situation the OP is referring to, also the bar and my understanding the owner or joint owner was pouring the drinks. Yes he bares some responsibility, knowing his state and aware he was driving. No escape here. Agree with locals it could caus some loss of face in the short term, following day sober, majority would be appreciative.

Recently was at a bar not that far away from Dumaguete, owned by a large German. He refused to allow a guest to drive home. The drunkard was also a foreigner, a scuffle ensured resulting in the large German man handling the drunk into his car and driving him home. I applaud such actions. Had this of occurred in the recent incident deaths would not of ensured. Further what does it say about the companions of the victim. Perhaps equally as intoxicated.

As for the implication of the drunk driving law, unless there is an accident forget it. We see on a regular basis here local police off duty. ( have even seen on duty) drinking, at times totally drunk and driving.

As for being responsible for our own actions.....how the heck can a rolling drunk be responsible?

[Dave Hounddriver]

Bet you would have a different outlook if one of those drunks left the bar, got in a car and ran down your girlfriend in the process of driving home.

 

I hope I never have to make good on this bet but I know you would be wrong.  I grew up in the frozen north where there was no 'nanny state' taking care of us.  We learned to get out of the way of the drunks or to join them.  There is a lot more that could be said on this topic but I think we stand on different sides of the fence here.

 

I will just add that I like to be able to go to a 'first world country' now and then to remember why having all those rules and regulations makes me feel pussified.  But in a short while I have had enough of that and I like the freedom to make my own decisions.  That means I have to give others, even drunks, the freedom to make their own decisions too.

[stevewool]

Been there , done that , got the tee shirt, but  that was a very very long time ago, infact i think everyman and there dog drove to the pub and then drove home worst for wear,

But i can say i never ever do it now, and i never will, you have to much to loose

[ironmaiden]

 

Do the Police here ever do sobriety Tests if they think a Driver is under the influence.

I read on an edition of Harry the Horse (but forgot which one) that the police have 3 accepted "tests" to determine if one is drunk. One is you have to be able to walk in a straight line, another one is to stand a number of seconds on 1 foot only and I forgot about the third one. If one can do those then one is considered fit to drive, if you can't than a bloodtest ( or a 500 P transfer into the police officers pocket) or whatever it is they do here to find out if you're drunk needs to be done.

[Jack Peterson]

 Said withTongue in Cheek maybe, my Youngest Brother always said, NO DAD! I never drink and Drive, It spills on the Leather Steering wheel.  :hystery:  Asking if he ever drove under the Influence, Our Dave said of course just like you do, So my Friends we can see where it all Starts.

 

Jack :541:

[davewe]

 

I don't think we can expect a Filipino barman, bar manager or bar owner to tell anyone - Filipino or foreigner - that he is unfit to drive , still less to take the keys off him. The loss of face to a macho Filipino would be so great that he might feel compelled to resort to violence, and "who knows if foreigners are different"? 

I had a friend who owned a pub(in the UK) and he would always bar the person the next day when they were sobre not when then were drunk

 

Or you could do what Peter O'Toole once did:

 

[earthdome]

Motorists using a non-professional drivers license with a blood alcohol content (BAC) over 0.05% will be arrested for a minimum of three months, fined a minimum of Php20,000, license suspended for 12 months and the vehicle impounded.  In cases where DUI results in injuries and/or fatalities, fines ranging from Php100,000 to Php500,000 will be imposed on top of a longer jail term.   Those same penalties apply to drivers of trucks, buses, motorcycles and public utility vehicles with a professional license.  But they must not have a BAC higher than 0.00, in other words no trace of alcohol in their body.  Otherwise their license will immediately be revoked and penalties levied depending on the incident.

 

Those limits are pretty low. The US was 0.10% BAC for a long time before MADD forced it down to 0.08%.

 

I worked in an industry for a while which was subject to federal regulations on alcohol/drug use. At the time I worked the limit was 0.04% BAC to be considered sober to work. Someone who is a heavy drinker each evening can be above 0.04%BAC the following morning and definitely register above 0.0%BAC. The limit of 0.0% for professional drivers would require drivers to not drink any alcohol during the work week.

[Dave Hounddriver]

Yesterday was a day when locals went down to the beach in droves.  I happened by at 5:30 when it seemed that all of them had been drinking all afternoon, then loaded 5 people on their motorcycle or 20 in the multi-cab.  So off they go.  A HUGE percentage of the drivers on the road were over the limit and you know what a noticed?  Not a damn thing.  They were all driving as crazy as usual except that the road is generally much less busy on a normal Sunday.  The fascinating thing is they all managed to avoid each other and I managed to avoid all of them.