Just how bloody STUPID can drunk drivers be?

[Archae]

High-speed (nearly 100 mph,) chase, tires taken out with stop sticks, needed a PIT maneuver to finally get this asshole to finally stop.

Drunk off his ass AND had 4 kids with him!

https://www.wbay.com/content/news/Intoxicated-driver-had-kids-in-car-during-high-speed-chase-508895861.html

[Shell_Seas]

1. Lucky that his kids didn't die. Lock him up and trow away the key.

[nini]

2. Lock him up for good

Drunk drivers have a special place in hell as far as I'm concerned.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. He was drunk.

That explains it all.

[NYMinute]

4. I know right?

He was utterly reckless and endangering the lives of so many.

[MineralMan]

5. There is no limit to it.

The high speed chase happened because he was drunk and didn't want to get a DUI. So, he ran from the flashing lights. That happens all the time, and is one excellent reason for police to stop doing high speed chases. Drunk drivers are drunk. They'll get in a damned accident and kill or injure unsuspecting, innocent people. Drunk drivers can barely drive under normal circumstances. If you chase them, they'll crash.

I'm not a fan of high-speed chases, you can probably tell.

[MichMan]

6. Are you suggesting that suspected DUI drivers should not be pursued?

Wouldn't that create a risk of them killing someone else either way?

[MineralMan]

7. Not at high speeds. Never!

They are already impaired, so it's stupid to induce them to try to run away, which happens all the time.

Hit them with the flashing lights. If they stop, fine. If they stomp on the accelerator, don't chase them. They'll crash and kill someone. Follow at a distance, until there is an opportunity to stop them safely or they stop on their own.

A high percentage of high speed chases that end in fatal accidents happen with impaired drivers. Often the crash involves another car with a driver that is not impaired. Unconscionable.

[Archae]

8. Something I've seen from OnStar...

A service that kills the engine if the car was stolen or the driver is in a chase, the cops notify OnStar and they kill the engine.

It's not a perfect way of ending chases like this, but it can help.

[MineralMan]

9. Yes, OnStar can do that. I believe what it does is slow the

engine to limit the vehicle's speed over a period of time. Just killing the engine would be unsafe in many circumstances.

However, most cars do not have OnStar. I believe it is limited to GM vehicles anyhow.

If such a thing were mandated for all cars, that would be a different thing. However, concerns about hacking have been raised with such systems, and that's sort of a well-founded fear. If a hack existed, it could lead to car hijackings and worse. So, it would get a lot of resistance from car owners, I'm certain.

[Archae]

10. Eventually, the answers will come from technology.

Stop sticks were developed by tech companies.

I saw one gadget, it's launched from a pursuing cop car, and scoots underneath the car, sending an EM pulse that kills the engine.

Another gadget is launched from the cop car, attaching itself to the back of the fleeing car and makes tracking it quite effective.

[MineralMan]

11. I'm sure there are many ideas out there.

All of them have obvious drawbacks and fatal flaws, though, I'm afraid. The problem is that when there is a high speed chase, it happens at high speeds, in traffic, and is very, very unpredictable.

Some sort of remote engine cut-off or RPM limiter would seem to be a reasonable answer. But, any such system would be hackable, and thus would have lots of opposition, for obvious reasons.

We recently had another innocent motorist fatality during a high speed chase, here in Minnesota. One such death is enormously too many. I can think of only a very few circumstances where a high-speed chase in traffic is justifiable, and some drunk driver going down the road isn't one of them.

Just follow the drunk until he stops somewhere and block him/her from going further. Then arrest him or her. Don't chase drunk drivers. They can barely control their vehicle at normal speeds. If you chase them, they'll end up crashing, and they will almost always run to avoid a DUI. Find another way to arrest them that is safer. Don't kill innocent motorists or pedestrians by chasing drunks, please.

[Archae]

12. I agree, none of the fixes will be perfect.

But even in chases that don't involve booze, like kids joyriding, they crash.
(I see those a lot in the Milwaukee news)

Real life driving is not as easy as Hollywood likes to portray car chases.

As I saw first-hand, a drunk driver has to be taken off the road, as quick as possible.
And the guy in the OP was driving at high speed with 4 kids in the car.

[MineralMan]

13. Was that drunk driver speeding before the chase started?

Or did he run away from being stopped, as typically happens?

[Archae]

15. It says at first contact, the guy was going 98 in a 55 zone.

He slowed to highway speeds later.

He just wouldn't stop until he saw a roadblock, even after his tires were deflated.

[MichMan]

18. Yep, just follow drunk drivers at a distance

When they cross the center line and hit someone head on, the Police will catch up to them in no time.

Of course the relatives of the deceased innocent victims will be livid that the police knew they were likely drunk and let them continue for miles until they killed someone.

[bluestarone]

19. I have to fully agree here

KIDS are so very precious! The target is the DUI driver not the passengers. The driver will get caught eventually. There is a better way!

[Cicada]

14. How stupid are we to not require alcohol monitors?

It would cost less than $100 per car to build in blood alcohol monitors that prevent drunk driving.

[Archae]

16. Those could help too, once they are better researched.

Even those could be "bypassed" though, drunk's car won't start, gets a guy off the street to start his car for him.

[MichMan]

17. Rep Debbie Dingell (Michigan) haas already proposed it.

Get up in the morning to run errands. Blow!

Take the kids to a recreational function. Blow again !

Stop at the bank. Blow !

Go to the Post Office. Blow again !

Stop by the grocery store. Blow yet again !

Pick up the kids. Blow one more time !

Stop for lunch. Blow !

I'm sure the vast majority of those who don't have a drinking and driving problem will think this is just a fantastic idea.