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Okay so I was debating whether to put this up or not.

But I think it's a good lesson learned and reinforces the fact that we can never be too careful.

A friend is currently in the slammer in Dubai.

Why?

Been out drinking, the night before. Went home, went to bed, got up, had brekky, pottered about, heads out around lunch time. Has a little fender bender, nothing more than a bumper scrape. Police are called, but because friend is looking a little worse for wear, they breathalise them. Of course alcohol registers in the system. Straight to the cop shop, been in the cells since Saturday.

Police aren't letting the person be bailed out, even with 2 passports as security. Trial has not yet been brought, although they have to do it within 21 days of the arrest.

Worst case scenario? 3 months behind bars and a big fine.

So even i you drink the night before, think twice about driving within 24 hours, you really don't know what's going to happen.

thanks for remminding

Chocs, I don't want to take away from your sage advice not to drink and drive but I have to say that the problem in this and many other similar cases is the state of the law in the UAE. I am also assuming that your friend was not actually intoxicated while driving (which is obviously a silly thing to do in *any* country).

First of all, we need more public awareness on what our legal rights are in the UAE. In some countries, for example, you have the right to refuse a breathalyzer test to avoid jail time but you lose your license.

Second of all, zero tolerance rules are stupid. It's especially stupid because it's only applied in the punitive form rather than through active enforcement. We hear of these tough sentences being handed down to convicted DUI offenders yet there are hundreds of intoxicated drivers on our roads every Thursday night.

gamercowboy wrote:First of all, we need more public awareness on what our legal rights are in the UAE. In some countries, for example, you have the right to refuse a breathalyzer test to avoid jail time but you lose your license.

Your right here is that you dont have any rights. They do as they please...

Chocoholic wrote:Okay so I was debating whether to put this up or not.

But I think it's a good lesson learned and reinforces the fact that we can never be too careful.

A friend is currently in the slammer in Dubai.

Why?

Been out drinking, the night before. Went home, went to bed, got up, had brekky, pottered about, heads out around lunch time. Has a little fender bender, nothing more than a bumper scrape. Police are called, but because friend is looking a little worse for wear, they breathalise them. Of course alcohol registers in the system. Straight to the cop shop, been in the cells since Saturday.

Police aren't letting the person be bailed out, even with 2 passports as security. Trial has not yet been brought, although they have to do it within 21 days of the arrest.

Worst case scenario? 3 months behind bars and a big fine.

So even i you drink the night before, think twice about driving within 24 hours, you really don't know what's going to happen.

Your friend must’ve acted in such a manner that made the police suspicious. Normally, the booze smell is gone by noon the next day, esp. after food and teeth brushing. And he must’ve drunk like hell the night before, for the alcohol to be detected on him the next day through a breath analyzer.

Yes alcohol could remain in the blood 24 hrs and longer, but usually after 8-10 hours, it can be only detected via a blood test or a urine test. There are, of course, other considerations, like body weight, amount consumed, whether he drank on the previous nights…etc.


Nonetheless, it is a good idea for everyone to know about the fact that alcohol remains in the blood for a very long time after the last drink!

Good post Chocs!

Thx!

Its pretty much clear from day 1 if you have booze in your system thats is classified as a DUI, and everyone pretty much knows what the consequences are. Must have drunk a ocean of booze to fail a breath test the next day.

If your so fond of getting p!ssed then you should also take all the precautions not to get screwed. I think if he was so pissed that he failed a breath test the next he would have faced legal consequneces even back home.

ofcourse here the limit is diffrent ( 0 ) than "back home" but all you drinkers should already know that by now. Another case of thinking the same laws apply here than "back home". Why is it so hard to realise that every country and state has its own set of laws including this one.

He must've personally drinken more than a bottle of vodka or even worse a bottle of bourbon without any meal a night before to be detected after 10 hours. That's why he looked very suspecious for cops. and had made an accident the next day.

It was stupid to drive a car under that condition.

gamercowboy wrote:Chocs, I don't want to take away from your sage advice not to drink and drive but I have to say that the problem in this and many other similar cases is the state of the law in the UAE. I am also assuming that your friend was not actually intoxicated while driving (which is obviously a silly thing to do in *any* country).

First of all, we need more public awareness on what our legal rights are in the UAE. In some countries, for example, you have the right to refuse a breathalyzer test to avoid jail time but you lose your license.

Second of all, zero tolerance rules are stupid. It's especially stupid because it's only applied in the punitive form rather than through active enforcement. We hear of these tough sentences being handed down to convicted DUI offenders yet there are hundreds of intoxicated drivers on our roads every Thursday night.

gamercowboy wrote:Chocs, I don't want to take away from your sage advice not to drink and drive but I have to say that the problem in this and many other similar cases is the state of the law in the UAE. I am also assuming that your friend was not actually intoxicated while driving (which is obviously a silly thing to do in *any* country).

First of all, we need more public awareness on what our legal rights are in the UAE. In some countries, for example, you have the right to refuse a breathalyzer test to avoid jail time but you lose your license.

Second of all, zero tolerance rules are stupid. It's especially stupid because it's only applied in the punitive form rather than through active enforcement. We hear of these tough sentences being handed down to convicted DUI offenders yet there are hundreds of intoxicated drivers on our roads every Thursday night.

Well Mr Alcohol , shouldn't you be concern about other ppl legal right TO LIVE then get concern of your dump rights, WTF is wrong with you? Trying to get an alternative to your stupid drink and drive habit ? what good will do for me if they took your dump license if I lost my family ? and you wonder why they have zero tolerance rules !!!? its bcz of your dump ass logic thats why.ppl like you makes me sick. including my stupid alcoholic friend .
and what awareness are you asking for ? it's called common sense not to be a deadly weapon to all of us. now get lost.

Hi again DF.

UAE kid its dumB with a B, not dump with a P

Oh yeah and welcome back

uaekid wrote:Well Mr Alcohol , shouldn't you be concern about other ppl legal right TO LIVE then get concern of your dump rights, WTF is wrong with you? Trying to get an alternative to your stupid drink and drive habit ? what good will do for me if they took your dump license if I lost my family.

Hi again DF.

Don't mix up warm and soft. In many countries the court defines who made the fault regardless who was drunk. I don't know about UAE though.

My brother was killed in the accident because another driver was very tired, slept and got the car into the oncoming traffic lane.

He wasn't drunk but had been driving more then 1500km without a break all day and night before.

He was irresponsible only.

uaekid wrote:Well Mr Alcohol , shouldn't you be concern about other ppl legal right TO LIVE then get concern of your dump rights,

Frankly, I'm not surprised that someone would throw this silly argument out. My rights (and yours, for that matter) are not some trifle thing that we're supposed to just ignore any time it becomes inconvenient so, without apology, I am expressing concern that our rights are not made known to us.

uaekid wrote:WTF is wrong with you? Trying to get an alternative to your stupid drink and drive habit ? what good will do for me if they took your dump license if I lost my family ?

Standing up for anyone's right to properly defend themselves in court, whether that person is guilty or not, does not in any way mean that I condone the alleged crimes. Why is this so hard to understand?

uaekid wrote:and what awareness are you asking for ? it's called common sense not to be a deadly weapon to all of us.

Let me restate what I wrote in my original post.

gamercowboy wrote:First of all, we need more public awareness on what our legal rights are in the UAE.

You're right in that it's obvious that one should not drink and drive but what I'm asking for is that the public should be made aware of what rights they have should they find themselves in this situation. After all, not every person who is suspected of drinking and driving is *guilty* of drinking and driving. Everyone deserves to know what rights they have.

Please don't think that this is my attempt to justify the actions of those who drink and drive. Nowhere did I state that I think that it would be a perfect way to end a night of bar-hopping. It's one of the stupidest things that a person could do and I absolutely condemn it. But it does not mean that we should be allowed to strip away all their rights.

gamercowboy wrote:Chocs, I don't want to take away from your sage advice not to drink and drive but I have to say that the problem in this and many other similar cases is the state of the law in the UAE. I am also assuming that your friend was not actually intoxicated while driving (which is obviously a silly thing to do in *any* country).

First of all, we need more public awareness on what our legal rights are in the UAE. In some countries, for example, you have the right to refuse a breathalyzer test to avoid jail time but you lose your license.

Second of all, zero tolerance rules are stupid. It's especially stupid because it's only applied in the punitive form rather than through active enforcement. We hear of these tough sentences being handed down to convicted DUI offenders yet there are hundreds of intoxicated drivers on our roads every Thursday night.

It is a well known fact that zero tolerance is the law here.

The answer is simple, if you want to drink catch a taxi end of story.

sage & onion wrote:

gamercowboy wrote:Chocs, I don't want to take away from your sage advice not to drink and drive but I have to say that the problem in this and many other similar cases is the state of the law in the UAE. I am also assuming that your friend was not actually intoxicated while driving (which is obviously a silly thing to do in *any* country).

First of all, we need more public awareness on what our legal rights are in the UAE. In some countries, for example, you have the right to refuse a breathalyzer test to avoid jail time but you lose your license.

Second of all, zero tolerance rules are stupid. It's especially stupid because it's only applied in the punitive form rather than through active enforcement. We hear of these tough sentences being handed down to convicted DUI offenders yet there are hundreds of intoxicated drivers on our roads every Thursday night.

It is a well known fact that zero tolerance is the law here.

The answer is simple, if you want to drink catch a taxi end of story.

And get blackmailed by the taxi driver
Is this still happening or has it all died down?

Well, I don't know what his state was the next day, but have been told he was wearing the same clothes from the night before and looked a state, which is why they tested him. If he had, had a shower and tidied himself up, I'm sure they would have given a second glance. Just unfortunate with the little prang.

Apparently the level of alcohol was something silly like 0.068.

Alcohol is metabolized at the rate of .015 of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) every hour.

Also, I didn't know this, but was talking to someone about it the other day and breathalizers also pick up stimulants. So if you've been caning Redbull for example apparently that can register too. (not convinced of this however).

And yes you're right, not many people know that you can refuse a breath test.

Thanks for the reminder. Sometimes people forget how strict Dubai can be!


I got smashed off my rocker last night....
Taking a taxi all day today. Expensive, yes, but not worth the risks (or headache).

Chocoholic wrote:Well, I don't know what his state was the next day, but have been told he was wearing the same clothes from the night before and looked a state, which is why they tested him. If he had, had a shower and tidied himself up, I'm sure they would have given a second glance. Just unfortunate with the little prang.

Apparently the level of alcohol was something silly like 0.068.

Alcohol is metabolized at the rate of .015 of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) every hour.

Also, I didn't know this, but was talking to someone about it the other day and breathalizers also pick up stimulants. So if you've been caning Redbull for example apparently that can register too. (not convinced of this however).

And yes you're right, not many people know that you can refuse a breath test.

I doubt that you can refuse a breath test in Dubai, this was said as in "some countries"

sage & onion wrote:I doubt that you can refuse a breath test in Dubai, this was said as in "some countries"

In my country you could require to have a series of tests in the hospital because a policeman with a breath tester is not an expert in defining your state. I don't know about Dubai either.

uaekid, you should really try some logical thought one day. Zero tolerance is the law here, but other countries have a certain level that is accepted based on tests of reaction time etc. after consuming a certain amount of alcohol - hmmm, maybe there is something to that? Just because you have a smidge of alcohol remaining in your system doesn't necessarily mean you are a danger to everyone on the roads. Also, you don't seem to have a problem with all the over-worked taxi drivers and truck drivers who are on the roads all the time and are a huge danger to everyone around them. It is so easy to point out the zero tolerance rule and alcohol is the danger on the road line...

hey just wanna ask you al out of curiosity....are you all drinkers?
and yea funny people i mean alcohol

Chocoholic wrote:Apparently the level of alcohol was something silly like 0.068.

Alcohol is metabolized at the rate of .015 of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) every hour.

An interesting fact I learnt a while ago is that the rate you metabolise alcohol when awake is not the same as when you are sleeping. So the "1 drink per hour" rule doesn't apply if you are sleeping, your metabolism slows down so it will take longer to get the alcohol out of your system.

So if he finished up a big night at say 3am, slept for 6 hours then drove it's understandable why he would have blown such a high reading.

Thanks for posting, it's a good warning to us all.

PS: It's also worth pointing out that in most of the western world (I think) 0.068 is still over the limit. In Australia (limit is 0.05) he would be automatically assumed to be at fault, voided his insurance and lost his license. No jail though. Only get that for repeated offences, but if you kill someone it's manslaughter and lots of jail time.

In the UK it's 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Hmmm!!!........ Kinda lession Yes!!...........BUT. it depnd's........

Hmmm!!!........ Kinda lession Yes!!...........BUT. it depnd's........

kanelli wrote:uaekid, you should really try some logical thought one day. Zero tolerance is the law here, but other countries have a certain level that is accepted based on tests of reaction time etc. after consuming a certain amount of alcohol - hmmm, maybe there is something to that? Just because you have a smidge of alcohol remaining in your system doesn't necessarily mean you are a danger to everyone on the roads. Also, you don't seem to have a problem with all the over-worked taxi drivers and truck drivers who are on the roads all the time and are a huge danger to everyone around them. It is so easy to point out the zero tolerance rule and alcohol is the danger on the road line...

kanelli, this is for you and sage, how would the police know if you are a dangour to anyone if they don't give you a test to prove it ?? why would you accept anything but zero tolerance to a criminal act ? not only that but the fact that he is a dangoure to everyone around him ? is bcz you both drink then there should be tolerance of some kind ? not if you are driving .

and why would some one refuse the test, if you know you didn't do anything wrong then whats the harm?

and will you guys stop ( in some countries this and that ) show me 2 countries with the same laws.

Kid, sadly you never look at the big picture. People have the right to refuse tests as per their 'human rights'. Although if you have nothing to hide, then it really shouldn't be a problem.

In many countries there is a drink drive limit, because scientifically speaking, alcohol does not affect a person until a certain point, which is why many places allow people to have 2 pints or a couple of glasses of wine.

Plus zero tolerance limit, can be very very dangerous when it comes to other products. Many pharmacy products that you ingest contain alcohol - cough medicines and the like. So how would you like to be busted for treating a cold and cough - doesn't seem fair in those scenarios now does it.

There has to be a line, a grey area. If you have been out drinking the night before, then it is difficult to know when it is completely out your system.

Plus I'd hardly call a fender bender a danger to other people, jeez these little scraps happen every single day, they're not all causes by people drinking.

Again, take your blinkers off. If you don't drink good for you, and this post does not apply to you, so let those of us it does apply to discuss it.

uaekid wrote:

kanelli wrote:uaekid, you should really try some logical thought one day. Zero tolerance is the law here, but other countries have a certain level that is accepted based on tests of reaction time etc. after consuming a certain amount of alcohol - hmmm, maybe there is something to that? Just because you have a smidge of alcohol remaining in your system doesn't necessarily mean you are a danger to everyone on the roads. Also, you don't seem to have a problem with all the over-worked taxi drivers and truck drivers who are on the roads all the time and are a huge danger to everyone around them. It is so easy to point out the zero tolerance rule and alcohol is the danger on the road line...

kanelli, this is for you and sage, how would the police know if you are a dangour to anyone if they don't give you a test to prove it ?? why would you accept anything but zero tolerance to a criminal act ? not only that but the fact that he is a dangoure to everyone around him ? is bcz you both drink then there should be tolerance of some kind ? not if you are driving .

and why would some one refuse the test, if you know you didn't do anything wrong then whats the harm?

and will you guys stop ( in some countries this and that ) show me 2 countries with the same laws.

Why is it for me?, I was only stating the facts, for your kind information I agree with the "Zero tolerance"

Zero tolerance to drinking and driving sure, but asking for zero blood alcohol is wrong for the reasons that chocs said above.

Roadside sobriety tests that measure your physical capabilites as they do in the US is maybe the right way, combined with a test for blood alcohol level allowable up to per European or UK standards if the person is suspected drunk and then taken to a police station.

I don't agree that suspects should be allowed to refuse to give a blood sample on anything less than strong medical grounds verifiable by a doctor on the spot.

Plus it's not just alcohol, what about medications that impair your ability to drive?

I have had prescribed drugs here, that barely allow me to walk in a straight line, and yet they said I could drive?! No way!

True, if you feel like sh*t because you have a heavy cold and have dosed yourself up I guess you shouldn't be allowed to drive then either! Seems fair.

But then I believe that even after 10 pints I could drive FAR better than some 80 year olds I have seen dithering about on the roads. That's not condoning DUI driving, because the main (not only) problem with DUI driving I think is the overconfidence that alcohol can give. It leads to recklessness.

On that note SH, I think we all agree that there are certain people here who drive like idiots anyway!