Drink Driving

Justice is “the principle that punishment should be proportionate to the offence”. Well, that’s a dictionary definition anyway.

For many innocent victims of dangerous driving in South Australia, justice would seem to be a myth. In March last year, John Swindle was walking his dog when killed by a 17-year-old speeding along Saint Bernards Road, Magill. Under the effects of alcohol and cannabis, the P-plater panicked and fled.

In February, the Adelaide Youth Court spared the boy a jail term, instead handing down a suspended sentence, a $1,000 fine and a 10-year licence ban.

Continue reading "At long last, justice may come to hoons who kill" »

Punch deputy editor Ant Sharwood says:

So I’m at a Golf Club in Canberra one evening between Christmas and New Year’s. And these really pissed guys stumble out of the bar to the outdoor deck where I’m enjoying a cold one with a friend. One sees his golf clubs knocked over. “Did youse do this?” he says, with venomous intent. We didn’t, of course, but my mate and I say nothing. Clearly these guys are way, way too tanked to listen to reason. Best to say nothing.

So anyway, the two drunk morons then pick up their clubs, head to their utes and drive off into the sunset. Personally, I hope they both drove into trees.

Point is, should I have done something? Nobody likes a dobber, especially if it’s a golfing bloke ratting on another golfing bloke, but should I have called the cops? Or expressed my concern to the barman, even though he seemed to know the fellas in question?

And should I, perhaps, have named and shamed the golf club in question in this piece? You tell me. Because clearly, the menssage of no drink-driving has not gotten through to the idiots in society - especially the ones with the big fast cars most likely to kill or maim someone innocent.

And seriously, these guys would’ve blown 0.2 if stopped. They were way, way, way over the limit.

Can you help Ant? Add your advice below.

Imagine heading off to Christmas lunch in a few weeks, having a few soft drinks and a big chunk of brandy-soaked Christmas pudding, only to have to get a taxi home because you’re over the drink driving limit.

Sounds a little stupid but that could be the reality considering the new drink-driving discussion points from the Australian Transport Council. And if you’ve been taking cough medicine at the same time then you’re really in trouble.

In the new National Road Safety Strategy it’s suggested that the legal limit for alcohol in drivers be reduced to either 0.02 or even zero. Not that there’s really any difference between the two.

Continue reading "How far is too far when fighting drink driving?" »

Shane Scott almost made it. He was just 700m from his home when the motorbike he was riding - after drinking six or seven cans of Jack Daniels and cola at the pub - left the road. He died.

Before getting on his bike he had argued with the publican and convinced him to let him make the 7km ride home. Shortly before giving him the keys, the publican had asked for his wife’s phone number so he could give her a call and get her to come pick Scott up. Scott’s response, according to the publican, was: “If I want you to ring my f**kin’ wife, I’d f**kin’ ask ya.”

But crucially, according to people who were there that night, Scott didn’t seem drunk. He told the publican he was fine to ride home. Now the High Court has decided the publican shouldn’t be held responsible for what happened in a ruling that backs what any bartender working under responsible service laws will tell you - it’s often impossible to tell when someone is on their ear.

Continue reading "Court calls last drinks on drunken excuses" »

There are plenty of normal Australians – normal being defined as prone to uncharacteristic lapses of judgment – who have a dark tale involving an incident of drink-driving where they could easily have killed themselves, a friend, an unsuspecting stranger.

Whenever I see former British Prime Minister Tony Blair I’m reminded of mine. Unlike most of my mates I got through my teens and most of my 20s without ever drink-driving, in large part because I didn’t bother getting my licence until I was 22 and escaped the road-related rattiness that comes with youth.

All except for the day of the 1997 British election, when with friends I’d attended a dawn breakfast at the National Press Club in Canberra to watch the BBC coverage, where we ate a hearty English breakfast laid on by the British High Commission, washed down with English beer. Lots of English beer.

Continue reading "Let’s stop taking the piss over drink-driving" »

A good bit of campaign journalism was launched in Melbourne yesterday by the Sunday Herald Sun in throwing open the debate on whether the drink driving limit should be dropped to .02.

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The Sunday reported that 39 people had been killed in Victoria alone in accidents involving drivers under the .005 mark in just the last five years.

Victoria’s Deputy Police Commissioner has tentatively backed the debate, if not quite advocating an actual change to .02

Continue reading "Should we cut the drink driving limit to 0.02?" »

Welcome to Thursday @ The Punch

Today in 1897 George Smith, a London taxi driver became the first person in Britain to be arrested for drink driving. He faced a fine of 25 shillings.  Australia’s drink driving laws first came into effect in 1971. How effective do you think our current laws are?