Hasbeen any cop who did not book your sons mate, given the condition he was in, history of how he got there and reason he was asleep, should be imprisoned.
I found only two drivers on the wrong side of divided roads, both over eighty.
A well known tail , driver calls on CB Radio, be careful there is an idiot driving in the wrong lanes towards traffic.
Answer? not just one mate millions of them, I am barely missing them.
Many die in contra flow incidents like your lost mates unhappy effort.
If one of yours died by his hand you would clearly see how bad it is.

we station a copper behind every car in the pub car park
Poirot et al,
You really are a sign of our times. What a stupid thing to state just because you don't get it.
If & I say IF a copper can STOP AN INEBRIATED person FROM GETTING INTO THE DRIVER"S SEAT then he should do so NOT LET HIM GET IN IN THE FIRST PLACE. I hope you got some of that now. Of course a drunk driver should be stopped on the road only an idiot will tell you otherwise. That wasn't the Point ! If he is deemed too drunk then organise for him to get home at his expense, give him a fine & be done with it. Next time he get's hit severely with another fine & loss of license for out of work hours. This business of preventing family providers from earning a living is no less bad than driving under the influence. It can destroy other's lives for no logic reason.
If we had a one size fits all attitude to Law then why the need to waste so much money on Lawyers ?
Some of you people really don't have a grasp of reality but that's what happens with indoctrination.

Belly,
When I advocated speed governors on all cars I was treated like a lunatic by the indoctrinated.
If we have maximum speed limits then BUILT CARS WHICH DON"T GO FASTER ! Which part of speed don't people understand ?

individual,

Of course I got the gist of your initial point.

But tell me the percentage of drink drivers who could be benefactors of a policeman waddling up to him and suggesting that they blow into the bag before they get behind the wheel? And why should police be out there nannying these people?

I'm sure you'd be thrilled to have the constabulary hassling you as you walk up to your car after a couple of beers, when you're still below the limit. Are they supposed to offer you a bag then. And if you're under, would you consider it harassment to be asked to blow - "before" you get into your car? How else are they to know whether you're under or over?

Or are you saying that the police should be on the lookout for people who are staggering and obviously blind drunk who get into their cars. Well, I'm sure we have heaps of coppers standing around doing nothing who could be on call to monitor alcohol outlets to save the drink drivers from copping a fine.

As I said, people know the deal with boozing and driving. If they drink over the limit and get into their cars ready to drive - who's fault is that?

Get real....

<< No one ever has the right to drink and drive. >>

Well…. that’s not quite true. There can be a good reason for driving over the legal limit; if you’ve had a few with no intention of driving and then need to rush down to the 24-hour chemist to get some particular medication for your partner, or you need to take your friend to the doctors or hospital… That sort of thing.

<< I believe it should go back to .08 >>

I agree.

Hey, the cops could and should do what Indi is suggesting as part of the overall policing regime of drink-driving. But they’d still need to be out there doing RBTs all over the place.

I think the much bigger issue here is to make the policing regime a whole lot more effective so that even the dumbest idiots feel as though there is more than a one-in-a-hundred chance of getting caught!

This is the critical issue. Lots of people drink-drive because they feel that the there is only a very small likelihood of them getting sprung, even on the main roads at the end of the evening when the pubs close.

Some attempt has been made to do this by imploring people to watch their mates and do what you can to see that they don’t drive when inebriated.

Apart from that it is a little bit difficult.

Empowering the public to do their bit to assist in dealing with tailgating, speeding and general risky driving practices would be a key point in reducing accidents. But it is not so easy with drink-driving.

So it begs the question: does anyone participating in this thread have a good idea of how to change the perception in the minds of those who feel that they have an extremely small likelihood of getting caught if they drink and drive?

a good idea of how to change the perception in the minds of those who feel that they have an extremely small likelihood of getting caught if they drink and drive?
Ludwig,
How about Non Military national service for a start ? The problem with our young & their parents is that they grew up at a time when Media, Sport & left wing politics, sprouted the me.me,me message for decades ever since big Goaf.
Our society has gone soft in the head & that's what's been realised by the so-called boat people single male adult army for quite a few years now.
It's all interlinked from promoting lack of responsibility to lack of self respect to selfish behaviour on the roads. Thank you Goaf & your mindless deciples.