FL: DUI and the Interlock Device

<font color="0000ff">A friend of mine had her 2nd DUI a few months ago. She got all of her fines and community service out of the way and all but finalized her court obligations.

So she then went to the DMV to get a hardship license allowing her to drive to and from work. Much to her surprise since it was not court ordered, she found that the DMV required her to get an Interlock installed.

There's a computer chip that she has to have read once a month (cost almost $70) and is allowed no more than 2 infractions over the year she has to have it on her car.

There are random rolling retests, an alarm sounds and she has to blow into the device while driving. This prevents someone who has alcohol in their system from having someone else blow into the device to start their car.

The setting is so sensitive that she already had an infraction trying to start her car 15 hours after she had been out the night before.

I don't agree with drinking and driving but the annual cost of this thing is ridiculous.

42 other states have an Interlock program.

Link Ck out the FAQ page.</font>

It's senstive as shit, and if you fail like three times, I hear it won't let you use it for an hour, and then you get to blow again.

I don't really drink, so my opinion is prejudice, but I don't really get down on drinkers, or really even people who drink and drive - I smoke weed and drive, and as much as I hate to admit it, it's the same fucking thing. However, I wonder what has happened to us that we're letting people with DUIs hop back on our roads.

In North Carolina, you get a DUI and have your license revoked for a month, and then you get it back until your trial date. But if you just continue the hell out of it, and then plea out at the last possible date, you'll lose your license for a month and have to serve 50 hours after two years. My problem here is with people I know - these kids drink a fifth a night - they're in college. What are these idiots doing giving these kids their licenses back?!!!

Great!
I got one of these cursed things coming my way soon!
Yay!
Thank you M.A.D.D.!
Really I know it's my fault for putting myself in this position.

(Message edited by grimblegrumble on June 14, 2004)

Sorry, I disagree. I both drink and smoke weed.
Drinking and driving isn't the same as toking and driving. No way.

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It's senstive as shit, and if you fail like three times, I hear it won't let you use it for an hour, and then you get to blow again. <!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

<font color="0000ff">You are partly right. In FL if you fail 3 times you lose the hardship license. On your 1st 2 failures you can try again after an hour or so.

I can tell you from my friend's experience that you do not want to attempt to blow even the day after a party. 15 hours after they had stopped drinking, after sleep and food both she and her bf blew positive in this thing!

She got her 1st DUI while on a 40 min drive up the coast one night. She stopped at a convenience store because her brother had to relieve himself.
The store was closed, and he got out of the car to find a spot on the side of the bldg (he's an adult btw). 3 cop cars zoomed in on her. Turns out they thought a robbery was going to take place as the store had been hit recently.

So without probable cause (no visible driving infractions) they asked her to blow a sobriety test. She refused because she was in a company car. That got her an automatic DUI.

She got the 2nd one crossing an intersection under a yellow light. It was about 2 am. Feeding time for the cops. Down here you if you are driving any time after last call you are like a fish in a barrel. </font>

(Message edited by sweetness on June 15, 2004)

(Message edited by sweetness on June 15, 2004)

<font color="0000ff">Grimble I feel for you. You have to be so careful about what you eat and drink, as sensitive as this thing is. Its virtually foolproof and they have considered every excuse. </font>

[psilly]

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

I smoke weed and drive, and as much as I hate to admit it, it's the same fucking thing.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

Hmmmm...I disagree, and every scientific test (by the government, no less) finds no decrease in driving ability. A few have found driving is improved, as the driver doesn't rage all the time.

Not to say I'm FOR this fucking thing. Next they'll have it detect THC, then Salvinorin, and next thing we know there's gonna be a Carpool forum on Mycotopia.

NO WAY, drinking and driving same as smoking and driving?

When you drink and drive, you blow through the stop sign and never knew it was there.

When you smoke and drive, you sit there waiting for the stop sign to turn green.

Pot slows down reaction time -

"every scientific test (by the government, no less)"

I'd be curious to see those tests! I can't imagine a gov't
test that gives the thumbs up to toking and driving. . .

"But if you just continue the hell out of it, and then plea out at the last possible date, you'll lose your license for a month and have to serve 50 hours after two years"

Yep - I have a friend that got 2 DUI's in a month.
She moved out of state for two years, got a license in the
neighboring state because the DUI's weren't convictions -
never went to court, just skipped out on everything.

She came back 2years later, took an alcohol education test,
and now she's free and clear, back on the road...
The only reason she even did that was because she was stopped by
a cop who gave her a ticket for driving with a revoked license.... b/c of 2 DUI's !

in case you lost count:

2 DUI's
Skipped TWO court cases
Lied to get 2nd ID in new state
Maintained 2 licenses in 2 states
Fled the state to avoid arrest
The ENTIRE time she was driving with a revoked license . . .

Off scott-free after a 12 hr class....
I was hoping she'd get nailed - a friend's a friend, but she'd
drive drunk to her alky class and brag about it...

Damn. If I got a DUI, I'd lose my job AND my license...

wish I had tits sometimes.



sol

Pot slows down reaction time

That was my point.

every scientific test (by the government, no less) finds no decrease in driving ability.

That I find hard to believe...there's tests out there that claim THC is 20 times more harmful than nicotine, I'm sure I can find a survey that says weed effects driving.

Fact is, it impairs you - while I wouldn't say getting stoned and driving is that bad, I wouldn't really say having a few beers and driving is that bad either. Smoking 10 packs of cigarettes isn't good to do when driving, but smoking two packs is cool. My point is that, in excess, anything can have an adverse effect how how you drive.

Just look at road head.

holland has performed some tests studying the effects of pot on driving skills

Is that Lazlow like Victor? I love that movie...

Pot does effect driving ability, but not in the same way as alchohol.

There is reason to believe it diminishes driving ability, but without actual driving statistics there is now way to know how significant the effect is. Lab tests are one thing, showing that it is a cause of accidents in real life is another.

Lesson to be learned: don't drink and drive kiddies. one of my roomates is on his 2nd DUI. for the first one he got busted in his neighbor hood moving his car from the his neighbors drive way to his without turning his lights on, and the drive ways are like 10 ft apart. then the second one he got on the way home from the bar less then 2 miles from our apartment, even asked him if he wanted me to drive him there and home. said he had somebody drivin him. i don't know how he avoided the interlock, as it is maditory in GA on the 2nd, but somehow he only got a fine and lost his license for 3 months, and year probation, even though he was already on probation for the first. DUI's are way to fucking expensive to even think of drinking and driving. the first one cost hime near $5g and the second almost another $4g. that would get you to cali in a cab. interlocks suck but so do drunks hiting innocent people. peace and stay safe.
LOST

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wish I had tits sometimes. <!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

<font color="0000ff">for their potential influence or just in general? </font>

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

or just in general<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

for their potential influence or just in general?<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

ha ha -

Both... influence for sure, but also for entertainment
value, a cool spot to rest a book when reading,
pencil holder, heck - the list goes on.
Tits rule.



soliver

One of the big advantages to living in a city with good public transportation.

[psilly]

Ok, I found this study:

http://www.hempfood.com/IHA/iha01206.html

It was good because it points out how the statistics for marijuana-related accidents are very un-scientific, as they don't consider what other drugs/alcohol are in the person's system. And, in fatal crashes, they'll test the driver and if they've toked in the last couple months, marijuana was involved!

Also, the kinds of things they test for are shit like brain activity based on frequency/speed of eye movements, so they'll say based on these findings "less brain activity." When, really it's just your mind wandering and your subconscience driving. Ever been driving on the highway and realized you haven't really been paying attention to the road for the past hour? Your subconscience takes over, but you're still able to react if something crosses your path, at least with me, anyway.

I hate arguing here, especially when we're all (pretty much) on the same side, but this is something I feel strongly about. Lumping marijuana in with alcohol is never right, IMO. If I couldn't toke and drive I'd have out of control road rage like everyone else in this God-forsaken city! And what about road trips? Sober? Ha!!!

agreed psilly

<font color="0000ff">I def like smoking for long road trips. I have driven around town after a couple puffs and I see the difference in that ppl, myself and/or my friends don't swerve across lines or make errors in judgement with a little pot buzz (1 or 2 hits) as with being drunk.
Too much of anything is just too much and not all ppl are affected the same. I've passed on driving because I was too stoned. I won't drive after I've been drinking and don't even want to drive on most other substances. </font>

Well I now am the proud renter of one of these interlock beauties!
I tell you what, it's good to have my license back, but this shit is ridiculous.
I've already almost had a couple of accidents from having to randomly retest while driving through thick ass traffic.
six months...is gonna be long...
But I put myself in this situation, I know.

[1dumbmyco]

Here in my state I was forced to learn about the power of "officer's discretion" with regards to driving while any substance is detectable via blood or urine. In my court ordered "school" I was informed that OTC medications, with the oft overlooked warning of operating a motor vehicle or large machinery??? may constitute a violation depending on OFFICER'S DISCRETION. That is a big fat ass limbo land IMHO leaving you with this possibility that you get T'boned under a green light and the cause of the accident and DUI will shift to you if you have consumed OTC cough medicine within the past 12 hours or so. I learned my one and only arrest in 27 years of partying the hard way, but it was my fault as I had drank. I deserved it and won't repeat it. As far as weed goes, back in the good ol' days, I used to smoke all day and it made me a little more paranoid at times but had no adverse affect on me, my friends, or FOF with regard to driving. But then again I was high and stayed outta trouble for many, many years. 1 DUI was all it took to change a fundamental way I looked at driving under the influence of ANY substance. The court ordered, unsupervised probation of two years, back dated to the date of the DUI not court date, only prohibits use of alcohol. Thanks Mr. Lawyer. I can live with that as I am not that much of an alki...just a few now and then. Driving is another thing as I am prescribed a medication for my BP that can lead to serious consequences if someone else fucks up and I have bad kharma that day. I DJ in my town at various clubs and am surprised, til I look back to the good ol' days, at the number of obviously intoxicated people driving themselves and friends home after a night on the town. Good kharma to those in the opposite lanes and in front of 'em is all I can think. My 2 cents on the subject. Stay home and have a good time, walk, or have someone drive you where you need to go.

[cleanjar]

craziness.

ive heard you can get arrested for a dui with alcohol, and if the copper suspects your stoned on herb, he can require you to take a piss test at the station, and whether or not you were smoking that night or nights before, if the herb shows up on the test they can also nail you for driving under the influence of marijuana also..even if you weren't smoking the night of the arrest..

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Well I now am the proud renter of one of these interlock beauties! <!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

<font color="0000ff">Just be careful with that thing and don't use up your chances. 6 months will go by faster than you think and this is already costing you a ton of money. Remember the thing will test positive even the day after drinking. Get thru this as best you can.</font>

Thanks for the advice Sweetness!

Cleanjar, I don't think that they can give you two duis for driving at the same time. But who knows? I certainly don't want to find out first hand

1dumbmyco...yes officers discretion is right. There was someone in my dui class that only had a .o5 bac, but still got a dui even though the legal limit is .08, because the officer said they were impaired after they failed the sobriety test. Anything can get you a dui.

[cleanjar]

someone in my dui class that only had a .o5 bac, but still got a dui even though the legal limit is .08, because the officer said they were impaired after they failed the sobriety test.

Well unfortunately several years ago the same happened to me. I blew a .03 and a .031, with .08 being the legal limit, and that really pissed the copper off so he just arrested me anyways for wreckless driving with alcohol involved. Shystee bastard.

And that was in florida also. The whole fiasco ended up costing me 5 or 6 grand at least, no kidding.

<font color="0000ff">Florida is one of the worst states as far as getting stopped for DUI. The other night a friend and I were leaving my house and we noticed a cop behind us in the neighborhood. He followed us around a corner, pulled over and turned off his headlights. When we got to the end of the block we saw that a huge party was going on at one of the houses.

I told my friend to pull over and we warned the partiers, (all of them looked to be in their early 20's) about the cop parked at the end of the block. He was definitely laying in wait for someone to leave.

They do this to patrons leaving the bars as well. We have a Taco Bell and a Krystal within like 3 blocks of each other, both are just a few blocks from a popular concentration of about 8 bars.

Driving anytime after midnight around there, even if you're just leaving your house for the munchies, you're a target. Bikes are the only way to go in the summer. </font>

[billyboy]

oh god

we screwed there gonna coem out with a drug test on the car and it gonna detect any legal substance dam ,dam you america its my life i do what i wont with it that

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Bikes are the only way to go in the summer<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>
From what I hear you can even get a DUI on a bike.

Well, I am the opposite for a couple reasons, I'll drive after drinking, though only after a couple, but as for toking and driving....thats different. I try to avoid that as much as possible after 2 friend of mine died in an accident that involved weed. They were on there way to Panama City for spring break...what a great way to die, cause you fall asleep at the wheel becuase you were too stoned to drive...

just my .02