AStomper

I got a DUI and that is why I started cycling. My brother pointed out a couple people that ride because they don't have a license either. Is this the case with anyone else in bikeforums?

KeatonR

I haven't gotten a DUI, but to be honest, I was lucky at certain times during my life. Now I'm in my late 30s and a bit smarter about that, but riding because you got a DUI isn't necessarily a bad thing. Take it as an opportunity to sit back, ride, and think about the choices in your life, and then count yourself among a healthy group that rides by choice for many good reasons. For me, it's for environmental, fitness and policy (transportation) reasons.

Nicodemus

I would guess no. Though it can be a trigger for people who may otherwise have never experienced the joy of cycling. I had a DUI 10 years ago, but that's not the reason I cycle. I've been on two wheels since I was 3.

FlatFender

no DUI, but I should have a couple of them.
Biking is therapy for me, I always feel better after a ride, especially after a hard day at work.

caloso

There but for the grace of God go I.

chephy

No DUIs. Not a single ticket or accident, for that matter. Mostly because I hardly ever drive.

mirage1

Amen.

pj7

I don't get DUIs because I ride a bike.
As sad as this is going to sound, the cops don't stop caucasion people on bicycles around here, even if we are obviously intoxicated, so long as we are not doing anything obviously dangerous.
Folks of other race however...

gharding

Not me. Then again, I haven't had a car since I was 19.

donnamb 

Interesting. My stepdad and I were having this very conversation during the Sunday phone call. He's started riding to the VFW for his beer to save on gas money. As long as it doesn't interfere with the right of way of a motorist, the police don't bother him. He is white.

pj7

Your stepdad is Downriver right? I do most (if not all) of my drinking in Mount Clemens, and the two places are similar. And it is true, I can be obviously drunk off my ass riding home from the pub or bar-&-grill or any old hole-in-the-wall bar, a cop can see me leave the bar even, and I'll not get stopped.
But I've seen black folks on bikes being questioned by the police quite often. In fact, I *think* that is likely the reason we still have the old "bicycle must be equipped with a bell" law. Because no one has a bell on their bikes nowadays and it gives the cops a reason to stop these people, question them, check their backgrounds, and search them if they feel like it.
But what do I know, I'm just a fat hillbilly.

CB HI

There you have it folks, the cops are racist because 2 white guys on bikes, not doing anything dangerous, did not get stopped.

AStomper

If you lived in the burbs you'd know the cops are racist, but thats another thread.

DataJunkie

Hell no. I rarely drink. Maybe one beer every few weeks or so.
My family is filled to the brim with alcoholics. I do not have a desire to add to the count.

alicestrong

I live with the "alcohol gene". too.

I often wonder how different our society would be if alcohol was illegal and another, less destructive mind-altering substance WAS legal. I personally think it'd be a positive difference.

I run into lots of folks on the bus who mention their DUI's. Not so many on bikes...

I've never had one myself but I was only lucky. I gave up drinking 25 years ago.

ItsJustMe

I think my family has the anti-alcohol gene. Nobody in my family drinks. I have no problem with alcohol or many other recreational drugs for that matter, but anything with alcohol in it tastes like turpentine to me; wine, beer, mixed drinks, even really sweet ones, meads, whatever, the littlest sip of one and it takes about 30 seconds before I can unscrew my face.

Anyway, no, no DUI. Actually I've never had any kind of a traffic ticket in my life, except I got whacked one time for turning right at a red light in the middle of nowhere with no traffic for miles at 3AM once with a "no turn on red" sign hiding there. That was several years ago.

ItsJustMe

I have a bell on my bike, because it's required. It's clamped under my seat. The law doesn't say anything about it being easy or quick to get to, though I suspect keeping one in your tool pouch would stretch the limits of the word "equipped".

Kestrelman

Interesting thread - especially the way it morphed into drinking while cycling. I used to live in Amsterdam, and I've never gotten the hang of riding a bike while drunk. It sux!!! And, it's very dangerous. Have seen many accidents after the clubs closed - a good friend knocked his teeth out riding home from a club. I'd rather walk than ride a bike after drinking.

Anyone else agree?

I-Like-To-Bike

Brother CB HI, you beat me posting the obvious conclusion to be drawn by the PC cyclist.

Az B

What about the black cops, are they racist too?

I guess that last speeding ticket I got should've been thrown out because I was white and the cop was black. Never mind the fact that I was speeding.

Lots of speeding tickets, never a DUI.

Az

bike2math

I'd rather just do my drinking at home. I got over the allure of bars and clubs when I turned 21 strangely enough. Much easier (and cheaper) just to pick up a 6 pack of beer on your way home from work, besides the food is far far better in my house than at any bar. As a result I don't even know (or care) what the intricacies are of the dui law in ohio.

To answer the question: No dui here.

skinnyj41004

I don't drink and drive and havn't drunk and rode but I do have fond memories of being in Indianapolis for the 500 one year and my friend being so drunk he couldn't walk but when he was on a bicycle he could ride straight down the line. Kinda funny, when the bike stopped he would fall over and we would pick him up and push him down the rode to get him rolling.

crtreedude 

Nope, I started riding because I was fat and needed the exercise - besides our roads destroy cars, bike repair is cheaper.

MrCjolsen

Riding a bike drunk is dangerous. But not nearly as dangerous as driving a car while drunk. Your friend is alive, which he might not be had he driven his car home from that club. Moreover, no one else died, was injured, or even came close to such a tragedy due to your friend's actions on his bike. The same would not be true had he driven his car.

The other thing is that a person who is so drunk that they are completely incapable of riding a bike more than a few feet, but still be able to get in a car and drive it far enough and fast enough to kill themselves and others.

CBBaron

You also might want to look at the lighting on those bike being stopped and how the cyclist are riding. Cops in my neighborhood (just outside of Cleveland) are usually concerned about stolen bikes when they see a rider after dark. If the rider is riding with lights and mostly following traffic laws it is unlikely the bike is stolen, while a youth riding haphazardly without lights has a higher probability. Given that the small city I live in recovers a couple hundred stolen bikes a year, they have some experience with recognizing potential problems. I guessing if you are cycling reasonably safe they will ignore drunken riding.

Craig