Drunken Driving offence

[simon]

It is always amazing that people get caught the first time they drive drunk. I have been checked once in three years and everyday on the road. .

Please explain why? As far as I can see Brenden made a simple mistake and as the stats go DD is a very common offence, its just a matter of getting caught, similar to speeding. I bet you speed being every day on the road, but it would be just a simple mistake if you got caught.

Me personally the limit should be zero. Drink affects different people in different ways so if you are going to drive just don't have a drink.

[Rosamunda]

Do you speak Finnish? I have never been to court in Finland and I know nothing about the process, but you might want to investigate whether you need an interpreter. I believe you are entitled to one.

Don't worry about it, you will make yourself ill. Get some exercise - it will help you burn off some nervous energy.

Do you have a Finnish licence? Or you using a GB/whatever licence?

[Upphew]

Me personally the limit should be zero. Drink affects different people in different ways so if you are going to drive just don't have a drink.

No go, I'd get flagged probably every time with fuel cell breathalyzer: xylitol is alcohol and it will make the reading go over 0.0.

[simon]

Do you speak Finnish? I have never been to court in Finland and I know nothing about the process, but you might want to investigate whether you need an interpreter. I believe you are entitled to one.

Don't worry about it, you will make yourself ill. Get some exercise - it will help you burn off some nervous energy.

Do you have a Finnish licence? Or you using a GB/whatever licence?

As I know you dont have to go to court, you just say at the time when stating what happened, and that you do not contest the verdict that way they just send you the punishment, well thats what happened to someone I knwów

[Rosamunda]

OK. But was the statement made in English then? Or was it made in English and then written down in Finnish. I would probably want to make sure that nothing was lost in translation. Generally speaking, it seems most police officers have very good English but you never know...

[Tiwaz]

Me personally the limit should be zero. Drink affects different people in different ways so if you are going to drive just don't have a drink.

No go, I'd get flagged probably every time with fuel cell breathalyzer: xylitol is alcohol and it will make the reading go over 0.0.

Worry not, accuracy of those things is just not sufficient for such to cause issue. If it is built into breathalyzer or would have minimum exist (0.1 say) it would not be an issue.

Besides, you are male yes? How come you can drive and chew bubblegum at the same time?

[BrendenFrazer]

Thank you all for the kind words and information. I just called up the officer who is handling my case and he said he that the case is now in the prosecuters office. I called them up and they asked me to call up next Thursday so that I can get more information. In anycase, the officer told me that I will probably get a fine and a few months of driving ban.

Thanks again for everything.

[Pursuivant]

Yeah, it may well be you don't need to physically appear in court. http://www.oikeus.fi/37279.htm

If you do, you'll find the Finnish court process is like the army. You get ready to wait... and get bored. Usually its given as date + "morning session" or "evening session" and nobody knows how fast the cases go.

Finnish courts is a desk behind is three-four people (judge, two jurors and a clerk), no horsehaired wigs nor fluttering dracula capes.

[Upphew]

Finnish courts is a desk behind is three-four people (judge, two jurors and a clerk), no horsehaired wigs nor fluttering dracula capes.

Three jurors: "In criminal cases (and in some cases concerning family law) the court is composed of one presiding professional judge and three lay members (volunteers elected by the municipal councils). Minor cases are tried by one judge alone."
http://www.om.fi/en/Etusivu/Julkaisut/E ... nalMatters

[Rick1]

If I was a Judge (but we already have a lack of prisons ) I would certainly give the max. if somebody does not show up. If somebody like brendan comes and explains that he does not sleep anymore, wife is beating him etc. (must see some proof) and we will not see him ever anymore, I would take the minimum. But again I would not even want to be Judge with these soft punishments in some cases e.g. first time ofenders only need to sit halve of their time in Yale.

[Mölkky-Fan]

no horsehaired wigs nor fluttering dracula capes.

It looks like the lady in the middle is wearing a wig!

[karel]

I'm with tummansininen on this. Kudos to you for just taking it like a man and not squirming around with excuses. Drunk driving is a seriously underestimated problem and -no sympathy from me- everyone who gets caught for all I care may lose his/her license for good. "I didn't know it was over the limit" (ok, one excuse there, and a lousy one) is just a stupid saying. One drink is already one too many if you're planning on driving anywhere.

You got enough useful answers, so I'll stop here

[Londonchris]

My son slowly crept up to me and touched my face like he was trying to console me.

I cant work properly nor can I eat or sleep properly. They said that the court hearing might take a couple of weeks to 2 months. I just want to get over with this.

Least you were wasn`t stone cold dead , get a grip, worse things happen at sea.. just think next time.

[sinikala]

I am not a law breaker or anything like that.

Ummm, the Police think you are.

It was just ignorance and as bad luck would have it, I got caught.

WTF?! More like good luck I'd say - 1 less drunk driver on the roads. If you hadn't been caught, you'd most likely have done the same thing again.

Sympathy rating for you 0/10.

[Karhunkoski]

The mistake is not "thinking 2 drinks is under the limit", the mistake was drinking at all if you plan to drive home. Not a lot of sympathy here since I lost a relative to a driver who was also over the limit... but anyway. The better attitude to take is, drink as much as you like, but get home some other way. And/or, if you're planning to drive, don't drink at all. It's real simple... one or the other.

After all our goal shouldn't be to stay in the Police's good books, it should be about "not endangering complete strangers". We'd never forgive ourselves if a kid ran out and having one beer in the bloodstream was enough so we couldn't stop in time.

Exactly.

You see Bren, most laws are there to protect stupid people from either themselves or eachother. Sensible guys who have any sort of thoughts for the potential consequences of their actions, will already know that any alcohol in your system will affect your judgement. But they have to set some sort of limit for stupids. Whilst sailing clode to this limit is of course still legal, it is also fooking stupid.