Drink driver who hit and nearly killed 13-year-old cyclist minutes after being refused service at pub jailed for just over two years

chrisonatrike wrote:

Caught!

I've always envied unicyclists - closest I've got was managing a forwards straight line (twice) after half a day's circus skills course. It probably would be one of the few times I'd consider donning a helmet - outside of certain group events out of politeness - given that falls would be a given while learning and they'd probably be exactly what the helment was designed for.  OTOH as you say the emergency procedure if you're not on a giraffe one (mounting looks fun) is "get off" so maybe irrelevant?

Never had any need for a helmet. 99% of the time, you can easily step off and thus not even hit the ground. Might have some use if you get a very large wheel uni (or one with gears!) and go at a significant speed. Falling off a bike is very different as you can't really land on your feet.

(That kid in the video has some skills! Never tried to ride a giraffe one though in theory the extra height gives you more time to correct your balance. The mounting is a lot trickier though - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUWIVsOiKqY)

SimoninSpalding wrote:

Quite, I have always thought that unicycles are the cycling equivalent of wearing a proper bowtie, it has no practical benefit other than saying "look at me! I have acquired a useless skill that you haven't"

For the record, I never pass up the opportunity to wear a proper bowtie!

Thank goodness, you had me worried about your standards for a minute there! Though I disagree about it only having that benefit, there's also the fact that nothing looks as chic as going into a cafe at daybreak in Paris with an untied bowtie draped around one's neck (when wearing a dinner suit, obviously, not just a bowtie and nothing else, though in certain quartiers...); I used to know someone who never mastered the art of tying a bow tie and so used to wear a made up one but carry a real one in his pocket for that very purpose!

SimoninSpalding wrote:

Meanwhile, on the serious subject at hand, sentence is weak, this man clearly has a drink problem and needs to be kept off the road untill that is sorted. I didn't see any mention of an extended driving test, or any conditions on release from prison to ensure he doesn't present a danger to other road users.

It bemuses me that we don't have a widespread alcohol interlock programme in this country, they're in common use in Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and everywhere they are used they have been proven to reduce recidivism from drunken drivers considerably. In addition I believe that the first-time ban for drunk driving should be five years, and the second time banned for life.

Bow ties are cool!

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How can punters tell (short of pulling it, to see if it pings back on release!)  if it is a 'properly tied bow tie'?

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I dunno but if it's spinning they're a nerd.

Flintshire Boy wrote:

How can punters tell (short of pulling it, to see if it pings back on release!)  if it is a 'properly tied bow tie'?

Unless you are Dr Who, clearly a proper bow tie should always be worn with a proper winged collar. 

Jetmans Dad wrote:

Unless you are Dr Who, clearly a proper bow tie should always be worn with a proper winged collar. 

I don't wish to fall out with you JD, but these are very serious matters: I was brought up with the tradition that wing collars are solely for white tie and tailcoat (with white weskit, obviously) occasions; with ordinary black tie dinner dress, or daily formal wear, a turndown collar is correct.

Top Tips for Wearing a Wing Collar Shirt:

• They should always be worn with a bow tie, never a tie
• They are best suited to black tie and white tie events
• Never wear them to semi-formal events
• Tuck the winged tips behind your bow tie

From what snowflake woke website did you cull that, sir? I refer you to the website of Budd, London, shirtmakers to the gentry, located in the Piccadilly Arcade since 1910:

Quote:

Never wear a winged collar shirt with Black Tie. It tends to be unflattering, reveals the tie band and belongs to the White Tie remit.

I haven't got any sized bow ties, so winged collars are out anyway.

I've got enthused about cravats recently.

IanMSpencer wrote:

I haven't got any sized bow ties, so winged collars are out anyway.

I've got enthused about cravats recently.

Very fine things, often wear one to weddings when I get a chance to wear the old frock coat.

Jetmans Dad wrote:

Flintshire Boy wrote:

How can punters tell (short of pulling it, to see if it pings back on release!)  if it is a 'properly tied bow tie'?

Unless you are Dr Who, clearly a proper bow tie should always be worn with a proper winged collar. 

Unless they're being played by Peter Cushing, they are called The Doctor and not Dr Who.  As any fule kno 

brooksby wrote:

Unless they're being played by Peter Cushing, they are called The Doctor and not Dr Who.  As any fule kno 

Thanks for being the one to point this out, my fingers have been itching to do so, but I didn't want to come across as being a bit "door mirror"

I think this one is my wife's favourite bit of pedantry.

mark1a wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Unless they're being played by Peter Cushing, they are called The Doctor and not Dr Who.  As any fule kno 

Thanks for being the one to point this out, my fingers have been itching to do so, but I didn't want to come across as being a bit "door mirror"

Yeah, but that's just pedantry.

This is a very important distinction

Quite!  "Of course, I confess I did scrape a pedal descending the Stelvio after a few sherberts ..."

hawkinspeter wrote:

All good points, but I'd recommend using a bike to get to and from a pub if a taxi isn't suitable. At least then you won't be tempted to drive and a drunk cyclist is primarily a danger to themselves. (I've only had one incident whilst cycling and that was when riding a unicycle back from a pub crawl - I scraped my hand a bit on a wall by going too close)

I try to avoid drinking to excess, but I almost always cycle to the pub and I have walked my bike a couple of hours home before when I've overindulged (about six miles.)

One time recently I stopped by my usual pub after work to meet some friends, and I'd driven the car that day. At some point I must have stumbled over a word or something because one of my friends decided I was too drunk to drive. I'd had two beers, not strong ones, in three hours, with food. Ever try convincing someone you're not drunk when they've decided you are? Everything you say is exactly what a drunk would say. I gave up and let him drive me home, then cycled back the next morning to collect my car.

Annoying at the time, but that's really what friends should do.

andystow wrote:

I try to avoid drinking to excess, but I almost always cycle to the pub and I have walked my bike a couple of hours home before when I've overindulged (about six miles.)

One time recently I stopped by my usual pub after work to meet some friends, and I'd driven the car that day. At some point I must have stumbled over a word or something because one of my friends decided I was too drunk to drive. I'd had two beers, not strong ones, in three hours, with food. Ever try convincing someone you're not drunk when they've decided you are? Everything you say is exactly what a drunk would say. I gave up and let him drive me home, then cycled back the next morning to collect my car.

Annoying at the time, but that's really what friends should do.

That's what I do (though my most regular pub is only a mile and a half away), cycle there and if I have more than two pints push it home.

Re your story, it would be a real public service if pubs kept breathalysers behind the bar and allowed you to test for a small fee. The majority of people, I'm sure, would not risk driving if they knew they were over the limit or even close to it, the problem comes when they make an assumption that they're okay when they are not. It would also allow people like you to prove to their friends they were okay!

Rendel Harris wrote:

That's what I do (though my most regular pub is only a mile and a half away), cycle there and if I have more than two pints push it home.

My usual (a "British Pub" in the US) is 1.8 miles, but I regularly visit ones about 4 and 8 miles away. A 20-30 minute bike ride, almost entirely on an off-road path, can be a very long walk!

Rendel Harris wrote:

Re your story, it would be a real public service if pubs kept breathalysers behind the bar and allowed you to test for a small fee. The majority of people, I'm sure, would not risk driving if they knew they were over the limit or even close to it, the problem comes when they make an assumption that they're okay when they are not. It would also allow people like you to prove to their friends they were okay!

One friend of mine used to carry his own, and it was the quality kind that cost hundreds of dollars, not the cheap ones that aren't very accurate. I wonder though if a pub might be taking on more liability if they "cleared" people to drive with a device that they would have to keep in good nick and properly calibrated.

I recently saw a coin activated one near the toilets in a brewery or restaurant in Denver. I was tempted to use it, but didn't. Not sure if it had disposable mouthpieces or not.

(photo found on ebay)

andystow wrote:

One friend of mine used to carry his own, and it was the quality kind that cost hundreds of dollars, not the cheap ones that aren't very accurate. I wonder though if a pub might be taking on more liability if they "cleared" people to drive with a device that they would have to keep in good nick and properly calibrated.

I was thinking maybe the single-use ones, such as it used to be compulsory to carry in your car when driving in France; like you I did think about the landlord's liabilities but presumably if they were simply retailing the product the liability, if any, would lie with teh manufacturer. As you say, not hugely accurate but enough to give at least an idea. 

I also think it would be helpful if the police sometimes visited busy pub carparks on a Saturday night and offered drivers free tests; as I said previously, I don't believe most drink drivers deliberately drink drive, they just wrongly estimate their legality (I've had a meal/I've had a coffee/I've had some water etc, none of which affect BAC), if they could be given a wakeup call without penalty that would be a big step in driver education.

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Today's No. 1 Humble Brag.

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Flintshire Boy wrote:

Today's No. 1 Humble Brag.

Do I win a prize?

A front fork and bars!  Oh, you don't need it...