Quote :

"i, too, thought everyone knew the DWI laws in MINNESOTA"

Of course!

[Edited on June 3, 2010 at 10:31 AM. Reason : s]

6/3/2010 10:30:58 AM

6/3/2010 10:31:35 AM

bible thumpers need to realize that liberty is better for them too

it gives them the chance to act in whatever stupid, restrictive way they please. nobody's going to force them to be san fransisco gays -- they can happily remain closeted southern gays for their whole lives

6/3/2010 10:32:27 AM

agreed

but i'm a realist and it'll never happen

they'd rather wander in a desert for 40 years lol

6/3/2010 10:33:43 AM

that's the law in more places that just minnesota, guy.

6/3/2010 10:38:01 AM

in North Carolina, the keys have to be in the ignition

unlike Minnesota

6/3/2010 10:43:23 AM

it really sucks that he'll likely get the same or very similar punishment as someone who was straight up hammered and driving or someone who passed out at a stoplight or something like that

6/3/2010 10:45:02 AM

^ Yeah I think that's what bothers me about it.

6/5/2010 7:54:55 AM

Quote :

""The real issue is whether or not he was in position to immediately move the vehicle," defense lawyer Bruce Rivers said. A couple of years ago, Rivers had client who was charged with drunken driving when police found him standing outside his car, holding his keys and the door handle."

Quote :

"Sharon Gehrman-Driscoll, director of Minnesotans for Safe Driving, said the law makes sense. "If they're in the car, you can get a hold of the keys," she said. "How can you distinguish between a person who's going to wake up and take off and go kill a family or is going to sleep if off?""

[Edited on June 5, 2010 at 8:12 AM. Reason : ]

6/5/2010 8:11:53 AM

Shit, by that logic anyone who uses the internet is a criminal. Because you know, how can you distinguish between someone who uses it to post of tdub and someone who will go and download kiddie porn

6/5/2010 8:20:20 AM

Funny you should mention that...

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/06/eu-may-monitor-searches-under-guise-of-child-porn-prevention.ars

6/5/2010 8:25:07 AM

Well, damn

6/5/2010 8:34:59 AM

they should give anyone that is drunk at home a dui if they have a car. who is to say they won't decide to go out driving later? better safe than sorry.

6/5/2010 9:15:25 AM

holy shit. one night i was blacked out after going to the bars in chapel hill. i went to my car to make a phone call because my phone was dead and i needed to use the car charger.(we caught a cab home) i ended up blaring music and passing out with the keys half turned. i woke up the next morning to sandstorm by darude pumping at full volume and a cop knocking on my window with a flashlight. he called backup. they told me they had 4 noise complaints through the night. i told them that i didnt drive but they made me blow anyway. i blew a 2.1 and they told me to leave my car there for the day. i didnt get a ticket or anything but they said they could have given me a dui. so fucking lucky.

6/5/2010 9:35:45 AM

Quote :

"i thought this was common knowledge."

Quote :

" ^^ you didn't read the entire story in the OP"

I did; I thought this was common knowledge.

Quote :

"btw that article is from Minnesota, so not sure how the laws are different in NC or other states"

Unless the law has changed over the last few years, I'm pretty sure that you can get a DUI for this in NC, too. I know you can in other states.

Quote :

"fuck the police etc but seriously fuck our law makers"

Yep. Add groups like MADD to the list, too...they're the ones who lobby for dumbass laws like this.

You know, I'm so sorry that you lost your child because of a drunk driver. As a father, it infuriates me and I can't imagine the sadness and rage that it would cause...but that's no excuse for pushing for dumbass laws like this. If nothing else, it's not even beneficial from a pragmatic sense--if you're going to give people DUIs for sleeping it off until they're sober, you're just encouraging them to drive home drunk.

In the end, though, a bunch of emotionally distraught women should still be capable of grasping this and being sensible, and cops should have good enough judgement to apply at least a modicum of common sense to the enforcement of the law, but the reality is that nobody really should expect better from either of those parties. Our lawmakers, however, many of whom have backgrounds in law, should be held to a higher standard (which is admittedly subtly different from "expected to do better.")

Quote :

"bible thumpers need to realize that liberty is better for them too"

Yep.


[Edited on June 5, 2010 at 9:37 AM. Reason : ]

6/5/2010 9:36:10 AM

Quote :

" a bunch of emotionally distraught women should still be capable of grasping this and being sensible"

Really? I would almost say they are worse than bible thumpers.

6/5/2010 10:54:21 AM

That lawyer sounds horrible.

6/5/2010 12:14:21 PM

my friend definitely got a dwi for being drunk and asleep in his car. granted he did drive the car to where ever he was later found but the cop didn't see him do that.

6/5/2010 12:18:06 PM