https://home.peoplepc.com/psp/newssto...0201-622675538

horses! genius!

This must be the Darwin method of fighting alcoholism. rather than drunk drivers killing people with 2 ton automobiles, even up the odds by putting the drunks on bicycles.

actually this is quite fun

That is so stupid. The only transportation for a drunk should be a bus or the back seat of a taxi.

Drunks on horses is animal cruelty, Drunks on bicycles do a disservice to us all.

At least there is some admission that a drunk in a car will cause more damage than a drunk on a bike.

One of the fundamental arguments in the claim a bicycle is safer than a motor vehicle is that a bicycle doesn't have the same capacity for damage to others as a motor vehicle does.

If a motor vehicle could only harm it's operator in a collision as a bicycle does, wouldn't that reduce deaths by at least half and possibly three times current rates?

Doesn't that mean cycling is at least twice as safe (for all) as driving?

This law actually makes a lot of sense. The reason drunk driving is a criminal offense is because of the danger to others, not the drinker. On a bicycle you are essentially a risk to no one but yourself; in the US a cyclist kills another cyclist or pedestrian once every few years.

In general, behavior that is not a risk to anyone but yourself is not illegal. Alchohol is far more dangerous to the drinker than to others. According to the AMA, in 2000 about 85,000 Americans were killed as the result of alchohol consumption. Of those, 16,653 were in alchohol-related crashes, with about half of the victims the driver. So a drinker is about ten times more likely to kill himself than another, but as a society we care more about protecting people from the actions of others than about protecting them from their own choices.

I was riding the local trail and seen beer cans strewn here and there. Then I came upon three losers one with a trike with a good size cooler on the back. They were having a smoke and one was standing with his bike in the middle of the trail. I said 'excuse me" as i approached' and in an obvious stupor looks at me a says" #@%& you go around theres plenty of room". I could hardly believe drunks on a bike trail but at least they were not driving a car. I met up with them again on the return and one had some road rash. I guess got what they deservred.

They still give DUIs around here for drunks on bicycles and lawn mowers. Once there was a drunk, who had lost his drivers license, bailed off his mower before it ran into a moving train.

This law is not a great idea, but better than some laws legislators have passed.

In certain areas of Texas I've seen people riding their horse to the local Ice House/Bar. This is always in a Rural area. The key is to watch where you step when you leave.

I've done a far share of pub crawls in my time. I've even road home from parties. I have always been someone that moderates, but there are occasions I splurge. Nothing like waking up still wearing your clipless shoes.

As for this law, I do find it insulting. That whole "lets just put the lesser people all on bikes" kinda vibe, and ther is the whole darwin award hopefuls, kinda thing. I'll get over it by riding my bike home... but I might stop and get a Sparks on the way.

I would not like a drunk on a horse. He/she is a living creature even though they not human and has feelings similar people (feels pain etc.) and can get hurt by the actions of another-even drunk. The bicycle is another thing entirely. It is not alive. It might run into another person (usually on the sidewalk) since that's what people without good judgement or skills usually wind up drunk or not. But a bike-usually-cannot cause someone to die by running into him/her. My own grandfather would still be alive to raise his family if he was not run into by a drunk driver. Not a cyclist.

Ah, but unlike a bike, the horse knows the way home. Strap a drunk on the saddle and the horse will get them both there, with minimal direction. The biggest risk is from falling off the saddle. I don't know if you mean the horse might have its feelings hurt by the insulting duty or if the drunk might physically hurt it. I doubt the former would ever happen because a horse doesn't share our morality over drunkenness, and if the latter happened it would only be if the drunk got abusive and took it out on Ol' Dobbins. (Which would be a heinous act in itself.)

Given that we'll never eliminate drunkenness, I think bikes and horses are both good solutions to getting them home. Of the two, bikes are less expensive and more practical, though...

The idea that is OK to ride a horse or ride a bike drunk is a very bad one. Now making the penalty less than driving may be OK, it is true the danger to others is less, but far from zero.

A horse out of control can cause a lot of damage.

A bike on the road can not cause too much damage directly (though I can think of two bike vrs bike accidents that were fatal). BUT a car trying to avoid killing a drunk on a bike can cause a lot of damage. Of course there is a way to cure this, simply make it legal to run over cyclists that are riding erratically and even encourage it like is done with animals (no not try to kill, just discouraging drastic actions to avoid running over a rodent). Personally since I do ride a bike I'm not very fond of that solution. Also since drunk riders are apt to be in the same part of the road I am I would rather not have to dodge drunk (possibly wrong way) riders.

Yeah, well maybe the real reason this law has been passed, is to remove a cyclists' rights to the road (seeing as a bicycle has now been removed from the definition of a vehicle).

Next step, off the roads and onto sidewalks and sidepaths!

First accident I ever saw was kid on bike running into an elderly lady who stepped out from behind a bus. She was hurt pretty badly.

You can do less damage and hurt fewer people on a bike than in a car, but you shouldn't be exempt. Drunk is drunk.

Anyone who's been on Critical Mass knows that riding a bike while drunk is fun.

It makes sense to me. There are few opportunies to use public transportation in South Dakota and neither a bike nor horse is likely to harm others. The bike's not big enough and most horses are smart enough to get out of the way.

I say we give all drunks pogo-balls and see if they can go anywhere with them.

I'm pretty sure most of them won't even be able to make it 50ft before giving up.

Heh...Typical politician bleeding out their true psychopathic nature.That guy should be "sentenced" to have his tongue cut out & his lips stitched shut.

Agreed. It is claimed that alcohol involvement -- either for the driver or the cyclist -- was reported in more than one third of the traffic crashes that resulted in cyclist fatalities in 1996. Nearly one fourth (23.9%) of the cyclists killed had a BAC of 0.01 g/dl or greater, and nearly one-fifth (17.9%) were intoxicated.
(https://bicycleuniverse.info/transpo/almanac-safety.html)

Removing a bicycles designation as a vehicle seems a pretty flimsy reason to have people get on a bike after they drink where it's likely they'll just fall from the bike (isn't balance and co-ordination essential to riding a bike and isn't that removed after drinking?) and be hit by a car (unless they start removing the cyclists from the road - for their own safety-) anyway.

I dont see the problem with riding a horse while drunk. I think it would be so freakin cool to roll up to a kegger on a horse. As for harming the horse, I dont see how that would happen. I mean, I dont beat on girls when I'm drunk, and I dont kick dogs when I'm drunk...how would the horse be harmed?

the only problems I see is that I drink at night, and the horse might get hit by a car, but that would be a problem drunk or not. Also, I'd be worried about people messing with my horse while I'm in the party drinking. but this is hypothetical, right? there'd be a "horse lot" where other drunks would bring their horses, and the horses can have a party while I'm partying.

and when the night is over and if I get lucky and I end up bringing a girl home with me, she can ride on my horse into the sunrise. I mean, thats pretty cool, right?

horses for drunks all the way!

Perhaps I should move to South Dakota

This guy's never seen a drunk ride a bike.

I watched from across a street as three drunks rode their horses down a crowded sidewalk with kids and older spectators at a garden tractor pull. The village officer stopped them told to walk but the one guy yelled at the cop for touching his horse.It troubles me to think how people could have gotten hurt, or worse because of there stupidity. Earlier this year was lining up at a parade were there were drunks on hosres. these people were very rude bunch of inconsiderate a-holes. We had an exspensive vehicle to display, the one lady,s stirrup almost scraped the door. my daughter asked them to give us a liitle more room. I didnot hear it ,but the one reffered to my daughter as a little b;''%$. I have no time for drunks or worse yet drunks on horses.

I use drinking as a character-test for people. I take all my potential business-partners to lunch and get them toasted on martinis. Or happy-hours with endless margaritas and well-drinks. A lot of people put on face-masks that hid their true selves. Hard to keep up the charade when you're drunk... heh, heh...

So if you're really an inconsiderate insulting person underneath a "civilized" layer for society, that'll come through when you're drunk. I know a lot of genuinely nice and caring people and aside from dancing on bars and getting silly, they really don't change much when drunk.