Re: UK: Drivers may be banned from smoking at the wheel

[Drsolly <drsollyp () drsolly com>]

On Mon, 14 May 2007, Andy Sutton wrote:

> On Mon, 2007-05-14 at 22:09 +0100, Drsolly wrote:
> > I'm really not too bothered if a drunk wrecks his own car. It's his
> > recklessness getting me killed that infringes my rights. 
>
> I think you are both arguing the same point from a slightly different
> angle: Someone is free to drink themselves to death, but not free to run
> over little Debbie.  The place where you differ is that Brian seems to
> be coming from the "no victim, no crime", and Solly from the "the crime
> is the potential victim".  I apologize if I have misstated your
> positions. 

The crime is the endangerment. I say that a crime is committed even if 
there isn't an accident on this occasion, just as it's a crime if you fire 
into a crowd, even if you get lucky and miss everyone.
 
> While I would not argue that driving a car while intoxicated is an
> incredibly stupid thing to do, I have to side with Brian.  Mostly
> because there are way too many threats out there to wrap laws around
> them, something like the TSA banning toothpaste and knitting needles.

I don't feel threatened by someone else brushing their teeth or knitting, 
even when they're drunk. I do feel threatened by someone drunk in charge 
of a couple of thousand kilograms of metal moving at 100 kilometers per 
hour.

The point isn't to protect people from their own folly, it's to protect me 
from someone else's folly.

> There are just too many potential crimes available to us.  Without a
> victim, the crime loses a lot of its meaning.
>
> "Drunk" could easily be replaced by "Mad" or "on the cell phone" in this
> conversation.

Not sure what your point is here. Medically insane people don't get 
driving licences, and driving one-handed while you do whatever (including 
cell phone) can lose you your licence. 

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