Do YOU drink and then try to ride?

Do YOU drink and then try to ride? Well, of course this is in Florida.

We are all too familiar with the havoc inflicted (on us and others) by drunk drivers behind the wheel of a car. But what I never considered is drunk or stoned riders on bikes.

Our first guy was on his bicycle, riding home from the Pickled Parrot bar (NICE). The second guy, who is facing his SECOND charge of riding his bicycle while drunk in the past 10 years, was riding his bike in the middle of a westbound lane at night with no lights or reflective equipment.

I don't know, this is apparently more common then I imagined. Are they a danger to society? Or are they simply being responsible by not driving a car while drunk. In any case, I never like to see negative news reports about humans on bicycles.

Here is the link to the story: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publics...me-day/1033308

 

I agree completely. If I am drunk I either get a ride, walk, or stay there. I think riding drunk would be more dangerous than driving drunk with the same penalties.

 

I agree completely. If I am drunk I either get a ride, walk, or stay there. I think riding drunk would be more dangerous than driving drunk with the same penalties.




Yep, me too.

 

Hi, Daddo!

Good question for the site, I think.

I don't get drunk; tried it when I was in my 20s and never liked it. Not saying I don't drink, just that I never have more than 2 and usually only 1 because I don't like feeling tipsy. But even if I did so all the time, I hope that I would have the sense not to ride that way.

The difference for me in riding drunk and driving drunk is that if you're cycling drunk and crash and kill yourself, you only hurt yourself (and your loved ones, emotionally), unless you make somebody have a wreck avoiding you. But if you're driving drunk, you hurt other people all too often and not yourself enough to make you stop. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers was founded by a woman whose young daughter was killed by a drunk. He was sentenced to a few years in prison, and on his way out of the courthouse was asked if this would make him stop drinking. His reply? "No! I'd have to kill 7 or 8 people before I'd stop." /img/vbsmilies/smilies/nonono2.gif

At least on a bicycle, that probably wouldn't be possible.

Thanks for the thread!

Sierra

 

Never have and never will.
I WOULD LIKE TO TOUCH ON THE POINT THAT YOU ONLY ENDANGER YOURSELF WHEN RIDING IMPAIRED. THIS IS TOTALLY NOT TRUE. THINK ABOUT THE MOTORIST THAT IS SOBERLY DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN AN IMPAIRED CYCLIST CROSSES OVER INTO THEIR LANE AND COLLIDES HEAD ON WITH THEIR VEHICLE. A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY THAT WILL NEVER LEAVE THEIR MIND. WHAT ABOUT WAKING UP IN THE MORNING TO FIND SOMEONE LAYING HURT ON YOUR FRONT LAWN. JUST A COUPLE OF VICTIMS OF IMPAIRED CYCLIST. MANY MORE I AM SURE.
Sorry about all the caps the caps lock was on and I did not notice until I was done ranting.

 

You're right, Dave.

I hadn't thought about the ramifications of killing a drunk cyclist that way, or finding them on your lawn. That would be so awful. I still get the shakes when I think about the guy I nearly hit with my car one dark night. I had always assumed he was just stupid, riding a black bicycle with black clothing and no lights in the middle of the road at night, heading in the same direction I was, in front of me and thus presenting an almost invisible silhouette. Now I'm wondering if he was drunk or stoned. Either way, it wouldn't really have been my fault if I'd hit and killed him, but I'd never have gotten over it.

I stand corrected.

Sierra

 

The other issue is the innocent/sober driver who swerves to avoid a drunk/impaired cyclist and ends up hitting another vehicle, bicycle, person or does property damage, or ends up in a lake or ditch, or...

My threshold for not cycling is probably lower than for driving. The physical exertion would make me feel terrible with a few drinks in me.

Jason

 

I live in Maryland and I was told that a Cyclist is subject to all of the same laws as a motor vehicle. I'm not sure if that's true or not but if we want to be respected on the road by other drivers we should respect them and ride safely and within the rules. I would never get behind the wheel of my car or ride my bike while drunk.

 

I think this is a rant worth taking. Sadly I have lived long enough (the "62" in my name reflects my age) to have come to understand that someone who gets arrested doing anything drunk probably has a more serious problem than anyone wants to admit. A D.U.I. usually means the person is alchoholic, and needs help beyond cycling drunk. Anyone who defends the act of cycling drunk needs to look really hard in a mirror.

 

[SIZE= medium]I’ve been a Teetotaler since I was 20 years old. I’m over twice that now so…not much chance of me riding drunk. [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]Riding, or doing anything, under the influence of legal or illegal drugs is nonsensical/img/vbsmilies/smilies/icon13.gif. [/SIZE]

[SIZE= medium]BBB/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif[/SIZE]

 

RAGBRAI. Many examples of drinking and cycling can be witnessed. It doesn't make it right, but it does occur year after year. Yes I have in the past partaken and enjoyed the ride.

 

When I was in my late teens and the legal drinking age had just been lowered to 18, some of my freinds and I decided to stop at a bar and have a beer during a ride. One drink led to another and we all had a buzz going when we left. I was sober enough to remember the ride home and we were not riding all that badly. It was a stupid thing to do, but it ended OK, no one hurt, no property damage, etc. It is not something that I would repeat. Well, chickens here...gotta go!

 

When I'm drunk I have difficulty walking let alone riding! Cycled after a few pints many times though and can report no problems whatsoever!!

 

These days I just try to ride, and then drink.

Seriously, beer is incredible recovery food...and I must admit, despite the fact that I've been a diehard beer fan for several decades, I don't think I ever truly appreciated just how good a fine India Pale Ale can really taste until I started drinking it as a post-ride beverage. Exquisite.

But never before riding. That would ruin both experiences.





fwiw, many years ago when I was in my early 20s I would routinely ride my bike while stoned. At night. Without a helmet.
Never got hurt, never got in or caused an accident, never had any altercation that made me think there was anything wrong or foolish about that activity. In hindsight, yes, it's amazing I survived...but at the time it just seemed like a pantload of harmless fun.

 

i agree

 

The Tarahumara people of Mexico (Tarahumara loosely translates to "the running tribe") run distances in excess of 100 miles barefoot across country, fueled on their homebrew beer.

We used to have a Christmas clubrun where the "norm" was to down a beer in about 5 minutes and be onto the next countryside pub (this was in England where a beer was a "real" 20oz pint). 8 beers later and life was good...
... or not in the case of a few that bit it on the way back. LOL.

 

I would never get behind the wheel of my car or ride my bike while drunk.Do,nt take risk to your life.



------------------------------
Running Tips

 

Why not? Some people do it on purpose. Safer than driving a car. You probably are more than likely not going to kill another person this way. You might hurt yourself, but it's still safer than a car. I've not done it but I've seen people use the bike as transportation to the bar and back home. Biking while intoxicated. BWI, I got a BWI the other day. It was impounded. They cuffed me and everything. Imagine if they did this. A guy ran through a red light on a bike while intoxicated. He was pulled over and asked where he had been.
I know it is always said that a bicycle is a vehicle, but what about a scooter? Riding one of those things that you push with one foot and stand on. You could operate one of those while impaired. A skate board maybe. I'm going to just say that this probably is much more responsible than driving the car while drunk.

 

Really cannot see the point of getting drunk and riding your bike. Not only are you putting yourself in danger but you're putting others in danger as well.

Mind you maybe having a bail when you're drunk on a bike is what is needed of drum into the head that it's not the best of ideas.