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The first drink-driving conviction may have happened in London
- dabeeeenster 6d ago"The following day, he appeared at Marlborough Street Police Court, where he admitted that he had consumed “two or three glasses of beer”." 19th Century version of a few small beers.
- rwmj 6d ago"I assure you I'm not, officer. Honestly. I've only had a few ales."
- deleted 6d ago[deleted]
- rwmj 6d ago> it would not be until 1904 that driving licences and vehicle registration numbers were introduced A fun fact is that for many years, to get a driving license you just had to apply at the Post Office. There was no test at all. My grandmother obtained her license this way in the 1930s, and drove on the same license right through til she became too unwell to drive in the 1990s, and never took a test.
- embedding-shape 6d agoBack in the day in my country, you could apparently get milder punishment if you were driving while drunk, because it's harder to steer properly then. From https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABilkrock_i_%C3%A5sljunga.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABilkrock_i_%C3%A5s...: > In 1928, a serious accident involving considerable property damage occurred on the main road [...] At the subsequent trial in Klippan, it was said that the Örkelljunga resident, who had caused the accident, received a more lenient sentence because he had been drinking spirits and therefore had difficulty steering. Different times :)
- HPsquared 6d agoIt is a form of temporary insanity, I suppose (though self-induced).
- cjs_ac 6d agoMy grandfather got his driving licence in 1940s Australia without doing a test, because the police sergeant who was supposed to conduct the test couldn't be bothered and was more interested in a ten-shilling note.
- suriyaG 4d agothis was me in 2015 in India. only because the inspector wouldn't see anything other than a 500 rupees note.
- backhold 6d agoThis is also how one would obtain a firearm or shotgun certificate - apply at the post office for a few (shillings?). I believe when introduced these certificates weren't even mandatory to purchase or own a firearm, and merely served to evidence your good character if a firearm dealer didn't like the look of you.
- OptionOfT 6d agoIn Belgium it was until 1977 that you could buy the license.
- edm0nd 6d agotoday, right now, there is no driving test in Mississippi. Its a paper test and eye test and BOOM you get a license.
- embedding-shape 6d agoThat sounded too extreme to be true, but it seems to be true, there is no "practical driving exam" as most other countries I know of have. There still seem to be a written theory exam at least, but if you're over 18, you go in and do those things and get the license. Unsurprisingly, Mississippi seems to have the highest fatality rate by rate compared to any other US state: https://www.iihs.org/research-areas/fatality-statistics/detail/state-by-state https://www.iihs.org/research-areas/fatality-statistics/deta... Seems kind of crazy they don't do anything about that... But then again, lots of things to do something about, some even crazier so what's a couple of more vehicle accidents gonna do.
- prmoustache 5d ago> There was no test at all. It may sounds crazy to us europeans but it is not much different than current situation in North and South America and probably many other parts of the world. My spouse and her friends passed the test on a simulator. She got it at first attempt while forgetting to put her seatbelt on + a few other minor violations. A friend of her told me she got it although she ran over a pedestrian on the simulator in the exam! She later got her licence in the Netherlands after several failed theorical and driving tests.
- rwmj 5d agoGTA in real life.
- flippyhead 6d agoIs drink driving where you are drinking something while driving? That seems fine. Drinking alcohol while driving is maybe bad though.
- walthamstow 6d ago> Police, he observed, had developed ways of stopping a runaway horse, but stopping a runaway motor car was another matter entirely. I'm curious about the ways of stopping a horse
- jaffa2 6d agoGun, possibly?
- orbital-decay 6d agoMounting, wedging, steering uphill, forcing the head into a turn, etc. Tripping and especially firearms were used as a last resort, there's plenty of ways to do that without permanently injuring or killing the horse.
- deleted 6d ago[deleted]
- jaffa2 6d agoSorry yes. I see what was meant now.
- embedding-shape 6d agoHorses are very easy to trip if you can get close enough, at least close enough to be able to throw something if nothing else. Lassos help also and is a bit less violent.
- ortusdux 6d agoReminds me of the old 1980's news clip of people reacting to California's DUI laws - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcQIoh3FQQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcQIoh3FQQ
- hydhyd 6d agoI watched this clip several times and don't think it's California, based on a) the southern accents of both interviewees and b) the guy's hat which I /think/ says "Fort Worth". My guess is this is in Texas and is a reaction to the implementation of 0.08% BAC and/or other changes urged by MADD in the 80s/90s.
- lawiejrliawj 6d agoOh yeah, definitely Texas. I remember my parents raving during the 2000 election that Bush's DUI was a non-issue because "he didn't kill anyone". I remember when seat belt requirements went into effect, my family members getting several tickets each, so proud to refuse to use safety devices. I remember my parents arguing with cops about their unspecified "medical condition" that prevented them from wearing seat belts, or us their kids as well. Texans are cavemen. So far behind culturally.
- philipallstar 6d ago> So far behind culturally. That's the most positive thing you could say about them. Cultural fashions are like any fashion: just based on "latest", and thus adhered to by even the smoothest of brains. Having said that, although I like their commitment to noncompliance in theory, seatbelt laws are not the place to do it in practice.
- genxy 6d agoWhen mandatory seatbelt laws were introduced, rednecks everywhere were decrying the tyranny of the one world government.
- toast0 6d agoI watched some old driver safety films on DVD a while back. The attitudes were way different, the message on drunk driving was "you probably wouldn't be legally drunk for two, maybe three beers, but your reaction time will be terrible and you will live with regret if you hurt or killed someone, so don't do it."
- raverbashing 6d agoTitle is confusing, it should be "The first conviction ever recorded may have happened in London"
- kwarcode 6d ago[dead]