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rwmj 17 hours 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.
> 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 15 hours ago [-]
It is a form of temporary insanity, I suppose (though self-induced).
backhold 15 hours ago [-]
This 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.
cjs_ac 16 hours ago [-]
My 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.
OptionOfT 14 hours ago [-]
In Belgium it was until 1977 that you could buy the license.
edm0nd 14 hours ago [-]
today, right now, there is no driving test in Mississippi. Its a paper test and eye test and BOOM you get a license.
embedding-shape 13 hours ago [-]
That 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.
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.
I 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 16 hours ago [-]
Oh 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 14 hours 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 13 hours ago [-]
When mandatory seatbelt laws were introduced, rednecks everywhere were decrying the tyranny of the one world government.
toast0 16 hours ago [-]
I 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."
wild_egg 15 hours ago [-]
As an old person, what's the modern attitude?
toast0 13 hours ago [-]
At least my attitude is the legal limits are low enough that 'just one drink' is going to be over the legal limit (this is almost certainly not accurate, but it's my attitude; additionally when I drink, it's usually a mixed drink which are often more than '1 drink' for BAC estimation purposes). If you get a DUI ticket, even without a collision, it's a huge impact on your life: much higher insurance costs, loss of driving privileges, potentially an ignition interlock device which are expensive and inconvenient, maybe some jail time, difficulty at international borders, etc.
I have less than a handful of alcoholic drinks per decade, so it doesn't impact me, but when I would drink slightly more often, I would always be sure to have a transportation plan. Either public transit, a designated driver or a significant cooling off period between drinking and driving.
AngryData 15 hours ago [-]
That if your drink a single drink within 8 hours of driving you are a filthy criminal that will have blood drawn and thrown in the drunk tank until monday unless you post bail and will have to go to court and prove your innocence with a lawyer.
jeffbee 15 hours ago [-]
Defensive alcoholics are a great accompaniment to yesterday's reflexive hatred of self-driving cars. Human drivers are really showing their whole selves this week.
AngryData 15 hours ago [-]
Obviously you haven't pointlessly sat in a jail cell for 12 hours because you had an empty folded box in your back seat after sleeping 8 hours from one of the two times you drink in a year. How dare I have a 0.005 bac! Thats the equivalent of using alcohol based mouthwash before driving!
weezing 14 hours ago [-]
In my country there are people who defend alcohol like some kind of an idol. Damn junkies.
ralfd 15 hours ago [-]
Zero alcohol
weezing 14 hours ago [-]
They way it should be
dh2022 11 hours ago [-]
With this logic one cannot enjoy a drink with a restaurant meal and then drive back home. Seems excessive to me…
[edit-typo]
kalleboo 3 hours ago [-]
That's how it is here in Japan by law - zero tolerance, even one drink is too many.
One solution is "daikou" taxis - they drive you home in your own car, with a chase car to bring the driver back. Where I live they're subsidized (volunteers I think) and can actually be cheaper than a taxi https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/運転代行 (use your browsers translate tool)
cucumber3732842 9 hours ago [-]
"the limits are bullshit unless you're borderline unsafe when sober but don't risk it because it's a revenue thing for the state and they'll try hard to get you."
That said, my friends work on boats, cut grass, weld, service generators, etc. for a living so probably the polar opposite of HN let alone the significantly less diverse weekend crowd.
walthamstow 16 hours 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
embedding-shape 16 hours ago [-]
Horses 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.
jaffa2 16 hours ago [-]
Gun, possibly?
orbital-decay 16 hours ago [-]
Mounting, 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.
12 hours ago [-]
dabeeeenster 17 hours 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 17 hours ago [-]
"I assure you I'm not, officer. Honestly. I've only had a few ales."
12 hours ago [-]
raverbashing 16 hours ago [-]
Title is confusing, it should be "The first conviction ever recorded may have happened in London"
flippyhead 16 hours ago [-]
Is drink driving where you are drinking something while driving? That seems fine. Drinking alcohol while driving is maybe bad though.
zamadatix 15 hours ago [-]
"'Am I drunk' what exactly, officer?" has probably been the basis of some good skits.
kotaKat 16 hours ago [-]
As once before said: If they didn't want you to drink, John Deere wouldn't have put a cupholder on it. C'mon, that's entrapment!
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.
> 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 :)
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/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.
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.
I have less than a handful of alcoholic drinks per decade, so it doesn't impact me, but when I would drink slightly more often, I would always be sure to have a transportation plan. Either public transit, a designated driver or a significant cooling off period between drinking and driving.
[edit-typo]
One solution is "daikou" taxis - they drive you home in your own car, with a chase car to bring the driver back. Where I live they're subsidized (volunteers I think) and can actually be cheaper than a taxi https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/運転代行 (use your browsers translate tool)
That said, my friends work on boats, cut grass, weld, service generators, etc. for a living so probably the polar opposite of HN let alone the significantly less diverse weekend crowd.
I'm curious about the ways of stopping a horse
19th Century version of a few small beers.