in my experience, culturally, drinking one (1) 4.8% ABV 33ml can of beer in Europe is drunk driving
Drinking two (2) 6.2% ABV fl oz (946ml total) glasses of beer and smoking weed in the USA is not drunk driving.
Not defending it, just saying that it was eye opening how many people in the US get behind the wheel after drinking what they consider a small amount of alcohol
Probably also doesn’t hurt that the US is generally far more reliant on driving to get anywhere. There’s a higher tolerance for doing it dangerously since there’s no alternative
I used to live way outside of town and there weren’t any night buses on weekdays, so I got a moped at 15. I just didn’t drink at all when I hung out with friends on weekdays, even when I turned 16 and it became legal, because I had to drive. It wasn’t hard to do and nobody batted an eye. So, the alternative is not drinking. Having no alternative transport is a poor excuse for drunk driving.
Yeah. You’re not gonna find many Swedes getting behind the wheel regardless of alcohol amount. There used to be a HARD stigma against it, since we know what happens. People used to get so drunk that we had to create a state monopoly of alcohol sales, in an attempt to reduce it. People argue about the actual effect, but i know that it’s cultural suicide to get behind the wheel drunk.
The legal limit is 0,2 ppm alcohol.
The Danes however… They could drink 3 halfliter lagers before reaching the legal limit of 0,8
we’ve even recently had a controversy where people had some blood tests done (or something like that) showing elevated levels of pETH or whatever it’s called, and this made them lose their license.
really wish we’d just mandate beathalyzer locks in all cars instead
Legally speaking in the USA anything after the first is driving while intoxicated/under the influence (different states use DWI or DUI).
Working in the booze biz you are sadly correct though. I had a wine rep a few years back offer to pay for my parking in NYC if I went to a tasting. I told him I was taking the train and he was surprised. He shouldn’t be.
Even spitting you still swallow a bit. Most in the trade spit at tastings into the spit buckets. You’ll be fine trying 5 wines in an hour but I would be tasting dozens of wines for hours. It adds up after a while.
After a few dozen you are tipsy. If there’s booze it’s a different story. This tasting always had Hans Reisetbauer near the door with his incredible eau de vies.
driving while intoxicated/under the influence (different states use DWI or DUI).
I thought it was a matter of severity, with DUI being over the limit but not obviously impaired and DWI driving while there’s no doubt that you’re drunk, leading to more severe punishment?
There’s actually been a trend of shifting the language to “owi” or “operating while intoxicated” since the law is the same whether you’re operating a car, a bike, a boat or a dump truck
But that’s okay. Accidents are just that, unavoidable and random. There’s absolutely nothing else that can be done, so we might as well shrug and accept our fate. When a poor kid gets flattened by an SUV, the only reasonable response is to sigh, feel sad for a moment, and then move on. After all, questioning the design of our roads or the size of our vehicles would be an affront to the gods of chance and the sacred right to drive anywhere, anytime.
Europeans might obsess over safety, but we know better: the universe writes its own traffic plan, and sometimes the ink is a little redder than we’d like…
And waith you can have almost of litre of beer in your blood and it is still not drunk driving? Yeeeez, especially considering the US is a shit place to walk or bike. No wonder why there are so many drunk driving accidents
in my experience, culturally, drinking one (1) 4.8% ABV 33ml can of beer in Europe is drunk driving
Drinking two (2) 6.2% ABV fl oz (946ml total) glasses of beer and smoking weed in the USA is not drunk driving.
Not defending it, just saying that it was eye opening how many people in the US get behind the wheel after drinking what they consider a small amount of alcohol
Probably also doesn’t hurt that the US is generally far more reliant on driving to get anywhere. There’s a higher tolerance for doing it dangerously since there’s no alternative
When I suggest taking drivers licenses away, my fellow Americans act like I’m suggesting the death penalty.
It sucks cause in most cities in basically is. DUIs can really quickly ruin your life. No car = no work
I used to live way outside of town and there weren’t any night buses on weekdays, so I got a moped at 15. I just didn’t drink at all when I hung out with friends on weekdays, even when I turned 16 and it became legal, because I had to drive. It wasn’t hard to do and nobody batted an eye. So, the alternative is not drinking. Having no alternative transport is a poor excuse for drunk driving.
This.
Drinking is not a requirement. And if it is, you need better friends.
What are we supposed to do?? NOT DRINK?
Yeah. You’re not gonna find many Swedes getting behind the wheel regardless of alcohol amount. There used to be a HARD stigma against it, since we know what happens. People used to get so drunk that we had to create a state monopoly of alcohol sales, in an attempt to reduce it. People argue about the actual effect, but i know that it’s cultural suicide to get behind the wheel drunk. The legal limit is 0,2 ppm alcohol.
The Danes however… They could drink 3 halfliter lagers before reaching the legal limit of 0,8
Danish limit is 0,5 like most of Europe. Most people here have a rule of thumb of 2 regular beers.
My bad. I mixed it up with the uk. The danes actually never had a limit until 1998 😬
we’ve even recently had a controversy where people had some blood tests done (or something like that) showing elevated levels of pETH or whatever it’s called, and this made them lose their license.
really wish we’d just mandate beathalyzer locks in all cars instead
Legally speaking in the USA anything after the first is driving while intoxicated/under the influence (different states use DWI or DUI).
Working in the booze biz you are sadly correct though. I had a wine rep a few years back offer to pay for my parking in NYC if I went to a tasting. I told him I was taking the train and he was surprised. He shouldn’t be.
You really don’t need to swallow at a wine tasting. In fact you’ll be able to taste a lot more without starting to affect your judgment if you don’t.
Even spitting you still swallow a bit. Most in the trade spit at tastings into the spit buckets. You’ll be fine trying 5 wines in an hour but I would be tasting dozens of wines for hours. It adds up after a while.
Impressive. Most of us get palate fatigue around 20 or so. Would imagine your BAL would still be legally fine, but everyone has different tolerance.
After a few dozen you are tipsy. If there’s booze it’s a different story. This tasting always had Hans Reisetbauer near the door with his incredible eau de vies.
I thought it was a matter of severity, with DUI being over the limit but not obviously impaired and DWI driving while there’s no doubt that you’re drunk, leading to more severe punishment?
That is not my understanding though I am not a lawyer.
There’s actually been a trend of shifting the language to “owi” or “operating while intoxicated” since the law is the same whether you’re operating a car, a bike, a boat or a dump truck
Road deaths & accidents in the USA are like twice that of Europe.
But that’s okay. Accidents are just that, unavoidable and random. There’s absolutely nothing else that can be done, so we might as well shrug and accept our fate. When a poor kid gets flattened by an SUV, the only reasonable response is to sigh, feel sad for a moment, and then move on. After all, questioning the design of our roads or the size of our vehicles would be an affront to the gods of chance and the sacred right to drive anywhere, anytime.
Europeans might obsess over safety, but we know better: the universe writes its own traffic plan, and sometimes the ink is a little redder than we’d like…
Not true. You could also call into question why the kid was outside in the vicinity of motor vehicles! Surely the parents can be blamed as well.
There’s a time factor as well. One standard drink per hour will keep a normal sized adult below about 0.05 bac almost indefinitely.
In NL you are allowed to have 0,05% of alcohol in your blood, which is about 2 Dutch classes. We often server 0.2L glasses these days, it sucks …
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/verkeersveiligheid/vraag-en-antwoord/mag-ik-met-alcohol-op-deelnemen-aan-het-verkeer
And waith you can have almost of litre of beer in your blood and it is still not drunk driving? Yeeeez, especially considering the US is a shit place to walk or bike. No wonder why there are so many drunk driving accidents
to clarify I am speaking “culturally” not legally.
Most people go out for drinks and drive home.
in wisconsin you arent legally considered an adult until you get a dui