930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: jkeisenh on June 24, 2005, 02:58:00 pm
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So, I know there are fellow boardie drinking-and-biking fiends here, so I thought I would share, in case anyone wants to do the 50 mile and 50 ounce challenge with us tomorrow...
Look here for drunken biking details. (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=116441)
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If I learned anything from Dr. Egon Spengler, it was Don't Cross the Streams.
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I'll be doing that tomorrow..but i'm starting in reston...it'll keep me from drinking too much...i got pretty banged up last time i attempted the drinking and biking
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not that i really care, but isn't drinking and biking technically DUI? am i misinformed here?
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Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:
not that i really care, but isn't drinking and biking technically DUI? am i misinformed here?
you're misinformed. it's not driving.
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i'm no crusader here, but i'm guessing the laws differ by state ...
http://www.legalcenter.com/lc/bicycle-regulations.html (http://www.legalcenter.com/lc/bicycle-regulations.html)
Bicycle Regulations
Is a Bike a Vehicle?
As far as the law is concerned, a bicycle is a vehicle that must obey traffic laws. This includes observing the speed limit, obeying traffic signals and signs, and yielding to pedestrians. It is also possible to get a DUI or DWI while riding a bike. A violation of any traffic laws can result in a citation, a fine, or even imprisonment in some cases.
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Actually Hoya is right under DC law.
DC St s 50-2201.05 states in part:
No individual shall, when the individual's blood contains .08% or more, by weight, of alcohol (or when .38 micrograms or more of alcohol are contained in 1 milliliter of his breath, consisting of substantially alveolar air), or the individual's urine contains .10% or more, by weight, of alcohol, or under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug or any combination thereof, operate or be in physical control of any vehicle in the District.
And DC ST s 50-2201.02 (9) defines a "Vehical" as:
The term "vehicle" shall apply to any appliance moved over a highway on wheels or traction tread , including street cars, draft animals, and beasts of burden.
Hate to ruin your fun.
I guess law school aint for pussies afterall.
Signing off from the Indie Yuppie Establishment
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Originally posted by chimbly sweep:
you're misinformed. it's not driving.
Actually, you're misinformed.
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heh... it's funny how bikers will try to assert their full rights as vehicles when they want to (such as taking the whole lane) and try to claim they're not a vehicle when they don't want to (such as riding on the sidewalk, running red lights, and driving drunk.) As I understand it though, under DC law bikes are pretty much subject to the same laws as any other vehicle.
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In VA it is legally DUI.
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I'd like to see the cop that pulls over a bike...
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I was in court one time and they called a case where this guy was busted for DUI while riding a horse.
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What I don't understand is that one doesn't need a liscense to ride a bike/horse/moped(under 50cc). So they can't stop you from riding said device after they take you to court for a DUI. So what the frigging point of giving you a DUI if you can just get back on the horse, so to speak.
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this girl I know told me that she was walking downtown once with her dad, and a cop started to ticket them for jaywalking. Her dad got belligerent and said "what if I don't pay, are you going to put a boot on me?" The cop had no good answer other than getting pissed.
Since you don't need a license, they can't even require you to produce ID and I know people who've successfully given false names. I used to work for a courier company which had a trophy wall where people hung up their tickets, rather than ever sending them in for payment. On the other hand, if they want to be dicks about it, they can detain you for hours if they want to and even take you to the station in order to "verify identity."
in DC, they can also impound your bike if it's not registered, but again they only do that if they want to be dicks, and most DC cops won't be a dick to you unless you're a dick to them.
For the most part, though, these laws don't really matter much unless you harm someone, in which case you're fucked. Momentum equals mass times velocity, thus if you weigh 150 lbs and you're going down a hill on your bike at 30 miles an hour, and you hit an 80-year old woman crossing the street, you're likely gonna kill her or put her in the hospital. And if the cop who responds notices you're reeking of alcohol and determines that you were riding drunk, you're likely going to jail.
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in the scenario you describe, though, it's more likely that the cop will give the biker a drunk and disorderly instead of a DUI.
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One of my sisters ex-boyfriends got a speeding ticket on a bicycle.
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Didn't people used to brag about driving cars drunk in the 70's and early 80's? Will cyclists go through the same progression?
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i hate you fucks who bike on the road...just stop...its not cool, go on the side walk. you can't keep up!
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Originally posted by flawd101:
i hate you fucks who bike on the road...just stop...its not cool, go on the side walk. you can't keep up!
You've gotta be pretty damn slow not to be able to keep up with DC traffic on a bike, let me tell ya! Besides... it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk in the central part of DC.