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Let this be a lesson to us all


Chocoholic Okay so I was debating whether to put this up or not. But I think it's a good lesson learned and reinforces the fact that we can never be too careful. A friend is currently in the slammer in Dubai. Why? Been out drinking, the night before. Went home, went to bed, got up, had brekky, pottered about, heads out around lunch time. Has a little fender bender, nothing more than a bumper scrape. Police are called, but because friend is looking a little worse for wear, they breathalise them. Of course alcohol registers in the system. Straight to the cop shop, been in the cells since Saturday. Police aren't letting the person be bailed out, even with 2 passports as security. Trial has not yet been brought, although they have to do it within 21 days of the arrest. Worst case scenario? 3 months behind bars and a big fine. So even i you drink the night before, think twice about driving within 24 hours, you really don't know what's going to happen.
newdubai thanks for remminding gamercowboy Chocs, I don't want to take away from your sage advice not to drink and drive but I have to say that the problem in this and many other similar cases is the state of the law in the UAE. I am also assuming that your friend was not actually intoxicated while driving (which is obviously a silly thing to do in *any* country). First of all, we need more public awareness on what our legal rights are in the UAE. In some countries, for example, you have the right to refuse a breathalyzer test to avoid jail time but you lose your license. Second of all, zero tolerance rules are stupid. It's especially stupid because it's only applied in the punitive form rather than through active enforcement. We hear of these tough sentences being handed down to convicted DUI offenders yet there are hundreds of intoxicated drivers on our roads every Thursday night. redtilldead
Your right here is that you dont have any rights. They do as they please... :( Tom Jones
Your friend must’ve acted in such a manner that made the police suspicious. Normally, the booze smell is gone by noon the next day, esp. after food and teeth brushing. And he must’ve drunk like hell the night before, for the alcohol to be detected on him the next day through a breath analyzer.
Yes alcohol could remain in the blood 24 hrs and longer, but usually after 8-10 hours, it can be only detected via a blood test or a urine test. There are, of course, other considerations, like body weight, amount consumed, whether he drank on the previous nights…etc.

Nonetheless, it is a good idea for everyone to know about the fact that alcohol remains in the blood for a very long time after the last drink!
Good post Chocs!
Thx!
8) 8) desertdudeshj Its pretty much clear from day 1 if you have booze in your system thats is classified as a DUI, and everyone pretty much knows what the consequences are. Must have drunk a ocean of booze to fail a breath test the next day. If your so fond of getting p!ssed then you should also take all the precautions not to get screwed. I think if he was so pissed that he failed a breath test the next he would have faced legal consequneces even back home. ofcourse here the limit is diffrent ( 0 ) than "back home" but all you drinkers should already know that by now. Another case of thinking the same laws apply here than "back home". Why is it so hard to realise that every country and state has its own set of laws including this one. Red Chief He must've personally drinken more than a bottle of vodka or even worse a bottle of bourbon without any meal a night before to be detected after 10 hours. That's why he looked very suspecious for cops. and had made an accident the next day. It was stupid to drive a car under that condition. uaekid

Well Mr Alcohol , shouldn't you be concern about other ppl legal right TO LIVE then get concern of your dump rights, WTF is wrong with you? Trying to get an alternative to your stupid drink and drive habit ? what good will do for me if they took your dump license if I lost my family ? and you wonder why they have zero tolerance rules !!!? its bcz of your dump ass logic thats why.ppl like you makes me sick. including my stupid alcoholic friend .
and what awareness are you asking for ? it's called common sense not to be a deadly weapon to all of us. now get lost.
Hi again DF. desertdudeshj UAE kid its dumB with a B, not dump with a P Oh yeah and welcome back Red Chief
Don't mix up warm and soft. In many countries the court defines who made the fault regardless who was drunk. I don't know about UAE though.
My brother was killed in the accident because another driver was very tired, slept and got the car into the oncoming traffic lane.
He wasn't drunk but had been driving more then 1500km without a break all day and night before.
He was irresponsible only.

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gamercowboy
Frankly, I'm not surprised that someone would throw this silly argument out. My rights (and yours, for that matter) are not some trifle thing that we're supposed to just ignore any time it becomes inconvenient so, without apology, I am expressing concern that our rights are not made known to us.

Standing up for anyone's right to properly defend themselves in court, whether that person is guilty or not, does not in any way mean that I condone the alleged crimes. Why is this so hard to understand?

Let me restate what I wrote in my original post.

You're right in that it's obvious that one should not drink and drive but what I'm asking for is that the public should be made aware of what rights they have should they find themselves in this situation. After all, not every person who is suspected of drinking and driving is *guilty* of drinking and driving. Everyone deserves to know what rights they have.
Please don't think that this is my attempt to justify the actions of those who drink and drive. Nowhere did I state that I think that it would be a perfect way to end a night of bar-hopping. It's one of the stupidest things that a person could do and I absolutely condemn it. But it does not mean that we should be allowed to strip away all their rights. sage & onion
It is a well known fact that zero tolerance is the law here.
The answer is simple, if you want to drink catch a taxi end of story. Speedhump
And get blackmailed by the taxi driver ;)
Is this still happening or has it all died down? Chocoholic Well, I don't know what his state was the next day, but have been told he was wearing the same clothes from the night before and looked a state, which is why they tested him. If he had, had a shower and tidied himself up, I'm sure they would have given a second glance. Just unfortunate with the little prang. Apparently the level of alcohol was something silly like 0.068. Alcohol is metabolized at the rate of .015 of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) every hour. Also, I didn't know this, but was talking to someone about it the other day and breathalizers also pick up stimulants. So if you've been caning Redbull for example apparently that can register too. (not convinced of this however). And yes you're right, not many people know that you can refuse a breath test. dresden Thanks for the reminder. Sometimes people forget how strict Dubai can be! I got smashed off my rocker last night.... Taking a taxi all day today. Expensive, yes, but not worth the risks (or headache). sage & onion
I doubt that you can refuse a breath test in Dubai, this was said as in "some countries" Red Chief
In my country you could require to have a series of tests in the hospital because a policeman with a breath tester is not an expert in defining your state. I don't know about Dubai either. kanelli uaekid, you should really try some logical thought one day. Zero tolerance is the law here, but other countries have a certain level that is accepted based on tests of reaction time etc. after consuming a certain amount of alcohol - hmmm, maybe there is something to that? Just because you have a smidge of alcohol remaining in your system doesn't necessarily mean you are a danger to everyone on the roads. Also, you don't seem to have a problem with all the over-worked taxi drivers and truck drivers who are on the roads all the time and are a huge danger to everyone around them. It is so easy to point out the zero tolerance rule and alcohol is the danger on the road line... deadlife hey just wanna ask you al out of curiosity....are you all drinkers? and yea funny people i mean alcohol
Captain Australia
An interesting fact I learnt a while ago is that the rate you metabolise alcohol when awake is not the same as when you are sleeping. So the "1 drink per hour" rule doesn't apply if you are sleeping, your metabolism slows down so it will take longer to get the alcohol out of your system.
So if he finished up a big night at say 3am, slept for 6 hours then drove it's understandable why he would have blown such a high reading.
Thanks for posting, it's a good warning to us all.
PS: It's also worth pointing out that in most of the western world (I think) 0.068 is still over the limit. In Australia (limit is 0.05) he would be automatically assumed to be at fault, voided his insurance and lost his license. No jail though. Only get that for repeated offences, but if you kill someone it's manslaughter and lots of jail time. Chocoholic In the UK it's 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. Sharp Hmmm!!!........ Kinda lession Yes!!...........BUT. it depnd's........ Sharp Hmmm!!!........ Kinda lession Yes!!...........BUT. it depnd's........ uaekid
kanelli, this is for you and sage, how would the police know if you are a dangour to anyone if they don't give you a test to prove it ?? why would you accept anything but zero tolerance to a criminal act ? not only that but the fact that he is a dangoure to everyone around him ? is bcz you both drink then there should be tolerance of some kind ? not if you are driving .
and why would some one refuse the test, if you know you didn't do anything wrong then whats the harm?
and will you guys stop ( in some countries this and that ) show me 2 countries with the same laws. Chocoholic Kid, sadly you never look at the big picture. People have the right to refuse tests as per their 'human rights'. Although if you have nothing to hide, then it really shouldn't be a problem. In many countries there is a drink drive limit, because scientifically speaking, alcohol does not affect a person until a certain point, which is why many places allow people to have 2 pints or a couple of glasses of wine. Plus zero tolerance limit, can be very very dangerous when it comes to other products. Many pharmacy products that you ingest contain alcohol - cough medicines and the like. So how would you like to be busted for treating a cold and cough - doesn't seem fair in those scenarios now does it. There has to be a line, a grey area. If you have been out drinking the night before, then it is difficult to know when it is completely out your system. Plus I'd hardly call a fender bender a danger to other people, jeez these little scraps happen every single day, they're not all causes by people drinking. Again, take your blinkers off. If you don't drink good for you, and this post does not apply to you, so let those of us it does apply to discuss it. sage & onion
Why is it for me?, I was only stating the facts, for your kind information I agree with the "Zero tolerance" Speedhump Zero tolerance to drinking and driving sure, but asking for zero blood alcohol is wrong for the reasons that chocs said above. Roadside sobriety tests that measure your physical capabilites as they do in the US is maybe the right way, combined with a test for blood alcohol level allowable up to per European or UK standards if the person is suspected drunk and then taken to a police station. I don't agree that suspects should be allowed to refuse to give a blood sample on anything less than strong medical grounds verifiable by a doctor on the spot. Chocoholic Plus it's not just alcohol, what about medications that impair your ability to drive? I have had prescribed drugs here, that barely allow me to walk in a straight line, and yet they said I could drive?! No way! Speedhump True, if you feel like sh*t because you have a heavy cold and have dosed yourself up I guess you shouldn't be allowed to drive then either! Seems fair. But then I believe that even after 10 pints I could drive FAR better than some 80 year olds I have seen dithering about on the roads. That's not condoning DUI driving, because the main (not only) problem with DUI driving I think is the overconfidence that alcohol can give. It leads to recklessness. Chocoholic On that note SH, I think we all agree that there are certain people here who drive like idiots anyway! Speedhump true, alcohol isn't even a factor in a lot of the road stupidity.... uaekid
(In many countries there is a drink drive limit, because scientifically speaking, alcohol does not affect a person until a certain point)
well daaa , how can they determine that certain point if you are disagreeing with the test they are giving and calling it against human rights ?
sorry but I don't give a rat as* about your human rights when it comes to my safety choc, not bcz you wana have FUN I should die in result.
now I don't know about Dubai but in AD they just past a law for the DUI ,in general if you had just a couple of drinks you walk away but if the alcohol in your blood is higher that what they sat then you pay'll 20,000 fine and walk away.
and yes ms alcoholic it does apply to me when I'm using the road you are DUI while using it.
speedhumps , yes I'm only talking in case you are driving under the influence of alcohol. canuckbid Hello all. I think a lot of people think that a driving license is a given right to them, and not a privilege. A vehicle in the hands of a drunk is a weapon. They have to start the DUI numbers somewhere to be able to enforce it. We've all been there. Your friend did a stupid move. I'm willing to bet he learned a huge lesson the hard way and not do it again. If he gets a public flogging please give me the channel and time please. Our system here is far to soft on the criminals. lol
Speedhump
I agree that it is somehow wrong that people can shout 'human rights' and refuse to give not only a blood sample but also a urine sample or even can refuse to use a breath test kit. That only leaves prosecution trying to prove that someone was drunk just by the evidence of the policeman who arrested him (he was swaying, his breath smelt of alcohol, etc). All stuff that a good defending attorney can try and pick holes in and get the guy to walk free. WhiteJade People still drink and get drunk and worse, they'll still be driving home. kanelli Yeah, that's another good point. I wonder how many of you who are against even a very low blood alcohol level in a driver have taken all kinds of cold medicines or other prescription medicines that say "May cause drowsiness, don't operate moving vehicles" and then gotten into your cars to drive to work/school? How many have driven when extremely tired or sick? How many have driven when really angry? All of those things affect how people drive and can make them dangers on the road. I'm not saying that this arrest shouldn't have been made, because the fact is that there is zero tolerance for alcohol in the blood here and there was a lack of judgment to drive even after a night of binge drinking. The whole situation is unfortunate. I'm just trying to point out that there are other dangers that aren't policed enough and some people have strong attitudes against even a low blood alcohol level while ignoring other sources of danger or contributing to those themselves. Speedhump
That's true but we have to try to reduce the number of people that do it by educating them, because as you say no matter what the penalties there are, some people will still do it. gamercowboy Proper education and enforcement will go a long way towards making our roads safer. Unfortunately, there's very little education since alcohol is borderline taboo in the UAE and enforcement is hit-or-miss. Even with this zero tolerance law, the worst offenders are still causing havoc on our roads. Oh and I think people are getting too hung up on the "human rights" issue. I don't mean to say that I think our human rights are being repressed by requiring alcohol level tests; driving is a privilege, not a right. I just think that it's important to know what we can and cannot do if one of us finds ourselves in this situation. Like I said, not everyone who is accused of drunk driving is actually guilty of it. sage & onion Human rights have nothing to do with it. You want to drink - Don't drive its as simple as that.



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