No reason to get uptight. For the most part. Few condone drunk driving. But, some rebel at overly strict control of one's behavior. Example... Guy trying to walk his bike back home. Can't win. Just out having fun. Hopefully hurting no one else.?
But some overly strict cop would probably bust this person. Disorderly conduct. ? Can't win.

tell me about it.

I'll keep this brief because it still ****s with my head but. I once got a DUI for being drunk and having the keys in my pocket.....Not driving mind you... BECAUSE I HAD THE CAR KEYS IN MY POCKET. And they were in my pocket because I had gone to get something out of the trunk and had not given them back to the DD.

So... two thousand dollars later to a ****ED! lawer that did not DO ****! I had the decision to either go to trial or take a reckless driving charge... even though I WAS NOT DRIVING.
I had no money left and all the court etc had ruined about eight months of my life.

Unfortunately after taking said deal... because I was out of money.. I was sentenced to two years in outpatient treatment and three years probation, $2000 fine. You have to pay for probation here so it came to like $3500 or so.
The treatment facility was next to an abortion clinic... I had to walk through christian protesters and junkies in line for their methadone hit to get to the outpatient sessions each saturday.
The sessions were all with obliteration drunks, crack heads and especially heroine addicts. I went for six months before the facility told my probation officer that there was no reason to be there.

So here are my over all feelings:
You shouldn't drive drunk, but if you do don't get caught.
Ride drunk all you want. Concrete won't cry when you hit it. And if you hit someone... youre a ****ing ****** and deserve what happens to you.

Fantamous..Seems drunk riding might be a less serious offense. But, guess a drunk rider might have less control and poor steering might cause others' problems if not the actual rider. and yes, I find your story totally believable. Cops have a hard job but some are overly zealous and out to 'get ya.'

i found this "A conviction of violating the California cycling under the influence statute subjects the violator to a base fine of $250.00. This is substantially less than the fines imposed for DUI cases involving "vehicles"." here http://www.1800duilaws.com/article/c..._influence.asp

My thoughts: don't stop. If you are riding with people, you don't have to be faster than the cop, just faster than the other drunks. If you do stop in SF, go to court and get it reduced.

I kinda like small town virginia attitudes towards drunk bicycle riding better. I used to work in Culpeper, Va. and the only reason most adults rode bikes was because they wanted to go out drinking and had too many DUIs. Drunk transportation was what bikes were for. We also had an old drunk dude who would cruise around town on a riding lawnmower covered in american flags. The guy was always wasted, but no cop could pull over such a patriotic lawnmower.

/Edit: if you are some place with no traffic, long blocks, no alleys, no one way streets, or if the cop is on a motorcycle... maybe stop.

+1

Running the base of your skull into a concrete curb while drunk is a lot of fun, too, I'm sure.

i have a pic of my friend's BUI (biking under the influence) ticket somewhere.. looking...

When we were in college many years ago, and went to many late night parties, we made an effort never to drive our cars because we did not want to drive home drunk. Didn't even think twice about riding home intoxicated on the bike. It was fun, and relatively safe.

as far as i'm concerned some drugs enhance one's ability to ride on 2 wheels. a little booze for endurance, a little coke to get you going, and a little herb to keep you alert.

livestrong.

I it's gotten to the point where I don't think I can be conscious and not able to ride a bike. It kind of scares me. It's always strange when you wake up and you're in your own bed and your bike is in the corner, but you have no idea how it happened.

moderation and a good friend will keep you out of trouble any day. for me that was tonight.

I had a friend who thought it would be hilarious to go cow tipping. He and a few buddies were away from home here in CA and found some cows. Anyway, they waited until nighttime and readied themselves. They charged at the cow in the same way they did. The ground was not muddy, nor did he slide under the cow. In fact, the cow got the last laugh this time. When he hit the cow, instead of tipping over, his hands went straight into the cow and he got covered in cow guts. The cow was apparently dead and had been in a state of rest for some time.

Gross.

We had a guy here that got two DUI's riding a horse along a public road. I almost got one after driving into a DUI trap. At roadside, they tested me at .09, which is over the .08 max in Kentucky. I also did poorly walking a straight line. When I got to jail, I was in the room where they had the official machine to measure me. The arresting cop sat there for almost an hour doing paper work before he put me on the official machine. I thought: "What a great guy -- he's trying to help me sober up before he gives me the official test." I learned later from a lawyer friend that your alcohol level in your blood INCREASES for 1.5 hours after the last drink. The cop wasn't trying to help me -- he was trying to get my blood alcohol level up. When he finally tested me, I came in at .07, just under the limit. Even so, they wanted to cite me for wreckless driving or open container in the car. I fought this, because neither was true. The county DA finally dropped the charges. I was lucky that a judge who had been at the party I was at was right behind me when I got pulled over. He called the jail and got me sprung right away. Normally, they would have kept me four hours in a cell. Jails are not good places. They smell like urine.

Well I know there are alot of people here that drink. Fine whatever, but when it costs you money in court, jail, loss of work etc then you need to re think your methods. Also being caught intoxicated by the cops is never a good idea. If there is a risk of this for you, then you should do whatever it takes to avoid that.
Also the definition of a bicycle is: A vehicle with two wheels propelled by pedals. Therfore it is correct to issue a DUI for riding while drunk. Getting a DUI shows wrecklessness, and disregard for the safety of others. I dont care who you are alchohol impairs judgement and motor skills. If you are going to drink be responsible, and if you are going to drink to excess, dont say anything to those who may use other natural plants to achieve their buzz. At least those who puff dont hurt or kill others by being drunk.

Most idiotic post ever.

I got pulled over for biking drunk/high when I wasn't. The cops said
they pulled me over because my eyes were totally bloodshot. This
of course was me biking in the middle of winter w/o eye protection.
They let me go.

Cow tipping: My last name is pronounced "cow" so yeah when all
of you first learned about cow tipping in 3rd grade was the worst.
I was all bruised for a year straight.

jeff

Urban? Yes. Suburban and rural? No. It's more like a way of life when you're out on a Saturday night and the city's main form of youth entertainment is cruising.

[QUOTE=Fantomas]You have to pay for probation here so it came to like $3500 or so.

Which would you rather spend your money on?

additional fuel for the flames...

To all the people that suggest that cycling under the influence is only dangerous to the cyclist, but who aknowledge that driving under the influence is dangerous to all:

Deer (who act erratically) cause damage, injury and death to motorists on a daily basis, the whole while with only small amounts of momentum. For instance, one reacts to the behaviour and strikes a tree, resulting in death. When it's a deer who is responsible, it's a tragedy. When it's a drunk cyclist who is at fault, it's criminal behaviour.

But I bike better when I'm a drunk.

jeff

Biking while drunk/high is wonderful. I have much higher endurance when I'm drunk. I am able to climb hills way faster, I have less fear of wrecking, and I can normally bike miles and miles without a sweat on my fixie. My visual senses highten when I smoke da green. Since I am hearing disabled, I use my eyes way more often than most people. I've never been a wreck in the 6 months I've been riding so far.

Overall, biking is wonderful for your health. When I started biking on the road frames, I was 5' 7" and 205lbs. Now I am 170lbs and all I need to lose is a little bitty gut in the front. I feel way more healthier now, probally due to less money = more dumpster diving = less eating. I feel more flexible and it's something thats a tad bit hard to explain until someone who has been overweight loses the excess weight. Also, the ladies who thought you were handsome before will really love you after you drop the pounds. ;-P

"Sometimes we feel like JE-SUS.
Expesically when you squeeze us.
Ladies, tis a sure way to please us!"

Chad

I can't climb hills worth a damn when I've been drinking.

I've had a couple too many really ****faced nights to enjoy wasted riding anymore. That said, I agree with the guy who posted a while back about how being tipsy (i.e after hitting a couple bars for 4-5 drinks) and riding is one of the best things ever. Riding when you're too wasted to go in a straight line is not.

Kinda off-topic, but here is my case for drinking and riding:

I worked for a guy in SF who encouraged me to chill out and have a beer after an altercation with a driver. He felt it calmed the nerves a bit and prevented you from riding all angry/scared.

I don't think alcohol really slows people down that much. Back in the day they used to give six day racers alcohol and speed to keep them going.

I raced bicycles for a few years and never won anything. I did well enough in road and cross races to upgrade to cat 3, but never did better than 2nd. I am pretty timid on the bike, I would get gapped on technical descents and have to chase back on. When I was a messenger it was the same story. I was pretty fast at work, drank moderately during the races, and knew the city. I did well in alleycats but never won. Last year I got wasted the night before a race, stayed out half the night, crashed, woke up buzzed and just ran with it in the morning. Sparks for breakfast and a beer at every checkpoint that offered. I took more risks, stayed relaxed, hit on checkpoint workers, and won. I think I corner, descend, and maybe even climb faster when drinking.

who was that old school rider who used to drink champagne out of his water bottle on the tour when the tour still meant a damn? Anyway, just rode home after a long night out and with the wind singing through the spokes, some times a few in you will keep you on the pedals instead of giving up and walking home.

If you can stand you can pedal.

I believe Jacques Anquetil, 5 time winner of the Tour De France was fond of alcohol. It's not uncommon for some racers to put a few shots of Vody in a bottle to race with. It takes the edge off and actually gives you an energy boost but its a far cry from being wasted.

5 thoughts:

If you already have one conviction for DUI and are charged with another you my friend might start to ponder whether you have a problem.

In my state (Kansas) your third DUI is a felony charge. No more voting, possessing firearms, having to list being a felon on every application you fill out and 1 year of your life with the County Jail as your home.

Alcohol does make people speak their mind- what is said while drunk has run through thier mind while sober.

You think that you will only hurt yourself if you are injured/killed while drunk? Talk to the people who lose a loved one to suicide. Talk to people who have been involved in a fatality accident. These people are scared for the rest of thier lives and haunted by "but what if I...."

What kind of injury are you willing to sustain to continue to drink? Broken leg, arm, how about brain damage? Oh, oh better how about feeling like superman on a Saturday night and waking up a week later as Christpher Reeves.

Thank you for reading this,

When I was a messenger, I would routinely ride home loaded and/or high.

One night I rode home ****faced, and was hit by someone equally ****faced. I remember the side front panel word 'Blazer' a mere few inches from my nose.
Luckily I was so drunk the SUV took the bike right out from under me and I fell flat, giving me a slight boo-boo on my knee rather than smashing my skull on the grill.

Was a life changin' moment, I will not ride drunk anymore. After a couple pops I'm still ok to get home riding. Loaded.. I will not ride now. I do not drink at all if I'm behind the wheel. Yes a little alcohol can make the rip home something magical sometimes. Alleycats practically demand it.

exactly. being a little lit just makes it so you cannot feel the lactic acid in your legs and makes the wind hitting your face feel totally outrageous. it's a good ****ing time, especially with friends. i'm sorry that the detractors here are too absolutist to realize that one can drink and ride with discretion. i can just say that i'm glad i don't hang out with any of you.

i will admit that i've ridden home from the bar before when i've been pretty damn gone, but that's not what i'm advocating (if there is anything at all that i am). at a certain point, it is definitely bad judgment. however, even in those cases, you really only stand to hurt yourself. like others have said, that's where driving and cycling differ importantly. for me - i will walk if i am to the point that even walking in a straight line is dicey. but, that takes a whole lot of alcohol. i can ride just about as well as i can walk in any circumstances. of course, that differs from person to person. i've known kids who have trouble on their bikes after 3 or 4 drinks -- they probably shouldn't be riding.

that all said, it may not be prudent to ride drunk due to legal issues. if it constitutes a DUI where you live, and the cops are known to arrest cyclists, then you are probably well-advised to be extremely careful. you might be playing against the odds. around here, however, i've never heard of a cycling DUI, or, really, any cases where a cop has bothered someone riding a bike about intoxication issues (there was one time that a cop stopped a friend and recommended that he ride on the sidewalk to get home, but was apparently extremely nice about it). even though it's just columbus, the cops have better things to deal with -- like drunken fratboys torching couches.

the situation isn't black and white, so don't pretend that it is.