Originally Posted by M_S
It is simply untrue that you are the only one you can hurt while riding your bicycle especially if it's dark and you're too drunk to remember to turn on your lights. Pedestrians have been killed and seriously injured by cyclists.
That said, a car is inherently way more dangerous. Faster and bigger. But just because riding a bike while drunk is better than driving a car, doesn't mean it's something you should be doing.
What I'm saying is that if you are drunk enough to hurt someone on a bike, chances are you are to drunk to stay upright on it in the first place. Whereas, if you are too drunk to drive, you will have no trouble starting your car, getting on the road and killing someone. And no, it's not something you should be doing, but it's still not the moral equivilant to driving while drunk.
Originally Posted by ax0n
Most people I know ride their bike when they know they're going to get too sloshed to drive, as if cycling while intoxicated is any safer. Well, it is, to drivers.
I think it's safer for cyclists too. If I'm drunk, I doubt I'll be able to hit my ususal cruising speed of 19 mph. I'll probably have trouble wobbling down the road at 10 mph. A crash at that speed is hardly fatal. Whereas, if I'm behind the wheel of a car and drunk, I can still go as fast as my foot can press the gas pedal. Chances are I will. A crash at 70 mph is very likely to cause me serious injury or death.