ROFL Funked! You know I'd never leave you.
Captain – I can tell you’ve thought about this, but I strongly disagree with the conclusions you have drawn. Incidentally, average car mileage here is (according to the dealers who do the servicing) 10-12,000 miles pa. I think it’s about the same in the eastern US, and I remember wondering why it wasn’t higher. The British Isles occupy an area the size of Oregon, which is America’s 11th largest state as you know.
In a situation where you’re doing 30-45,000 miles a year, it follows that you’re doing some very long trips. And I know from my own experience that those epic voyages get started early and might finish late, with a break for lunch in uncharted territory. On such trips, there simply isn’t time for drinking. Besides which, folks who depend on their vehicles to the extent that you do would be far less likely to risk their licences by driving while intoxicated.
I also feel that by attempting to portray the scale of the problem alongside the total number of miles driven is misleading. For those stats to be borne out assumes that
everyone drinks and drives, and the US figures are higher because US drivers in an inebriated state present more arrest opportunities than if they drove many fewer miles. I don’t think that’s how it is.
The people that get done for drink driving are not on long trips across country. It’s the people who wanted to get to the pub early enough to have a few rounds, and took the car. They took the risk
because they were NOT going a long distance, and thought they could get away with it. The pubs here close at 11pm each night, 10:30pm on Sundays. I have heard the Police comment that the hour after closing time on a Friday (when drinkers have been paid) is the worst time for accidents and DUI arrests in the whole week.
