What harm rural elderly driving after a few pints?

[HanleyS]

Indemnity sought in case against Leitrim publicans - The Irish Times - Thu, Mar 11, 2010

John Connolly (79), Kinlough, Co Leitrim, and Anne McSorley, Antrim Road, Belfast, died after vehicles driven by Mr Connolly and Mary Flanagan, mother of Ms McSorley, collided on the main Sligo to Bundoran road on March 31st, 2005, about two miles from Mr Connolly’s home.
....
Yesterday, Edward Walsh SC, for the estate, told the court Mr Connolly was a regular at the defendants’ pub, The Diamond Bar, Tullaghan, Co Leitrim, and was served between five and six pints of Guinness there between 11-30am and 3-30pm on the day of the incident. He then left the pub and drove.

Those who say that drink driving laws are destroying rural life and causing loneliness for the elderly should look at this case. We're frequently told how auld fellas driving home after a few pints do no harm and it's the young fellas doing all the damage. People like Gay Byrne actively demonise young male drivers and give drivers like the guilty party in this case a carte blanche to disassociate themselves from blame.

Meanwhile we're told that self-regulation is working. It would do no harm to see a few more publicans sued for harm occasioned to or by their patrons.
Self-regulation of alcohol sales is working, says Ahern - The Irish Times - Thu, Mar 11, 2010

[jdwex]

Im only playin devils advocate here. Two cars crashed causing deaths in this story, so who says the drink driver was to blame? It is quite possible this man was blameless. It is POSSIBLE, he may have been ambling home in complete control of his car and senses, and the other driver could have been on her mobile phone not concentrating causing the crash. The evidence left for the authorities is, two dead, to mangled cars, probably no witness's, and knowledge one driver was drinking. Hey presto.... the drinker MUST have caused it??

Well...

Mr Walsh said the incident occurred when Mr Connolly’s car went on the wrong side of the road and collided with Ms Flanagan’s car.

Mr Connolly and Ms McSorley were pronounced dead at the scene.

[USER1234]

Im only playin devils advocate here. Two cars crashed causing deaths in this story, so who says the drink driver was to blame? It is quite possible this man was blameless. It is POSSIBLE, he may have been ambling home in complete control of his car and senses, and the other driver could have been on her mobile phone not concentrating causing the crash. The evidence left for the authorities is, two dead, to mangled cars, probably no witness's, and knowledge one driver was drinking. Hey presto.... the drinker MUST have caused it??

Oh come on, they can work it out using modern forensic methods and anyway no matter what the drunk man should not be drink driving it stupid and dangerous!!!

Every drink driver is at least an attempted murder (and a murder if they do kill somebody) and if caught i would love to see them named and shamed followed by a long jail term and forbidden to ever drive again!!!

[Oreo Livermore]

This lad was 79. Even without drink he could have just dropped his glasses or was distracted.

His blood alcohol level is immaterial. What is important imo is whether he appeared intoxicated. If he was then served another drink, then that was wrong.

It is the dead man's family who are bringing the case, I would give them nothing. The dead woman's family got the 275g from the dead man's estate so good.

[jabbers]

I have read this case and it sticks out at me to say we are turning out like the yanks when it turns to the blame game!

How can anyone blame the publican in this case! The publican provided the services to the 79 year old and is responsible for the 79 while inside his premises! The 79 year old took the decision himself to drive home. This man killed himself and should be made accountable for the death even though he is dead himself! This is typical American style pass the puck style law!

I can see a future case!

80 year old man sues local shop. A man who started smoking at the age of 16 and has smoked for the past 64 years of his life is suing his local shop because he has contracted lung cancer and has taken out a case against his local shop for serving him!

[Pauli]

Oh come on, they can work it out using modern forensic methods and anyway no matter what the drunk man should not be drink driving it stupid and dangerous!!!

Every drink driver is at least an attempted murder (and a murder if they do kill somebody) and if caught i would love to see them named and shamed followed by a long jail term and forbidden to ever drive again!!!

That is a ludicrous assertion. Murder requires that the act of killing and the intention to kill the individual killed must be contemperaneous. It CANNOT be murder.

[Stroke]

Having 3 quarters of a gallon of beer before your dinner is not a good idea, whether you're 29 or 79. Getting into a car and driving it after 3 quarters of a gallon is criminal.....

[Oreo Livermore]

Do you mean 3 gallons

[Sync]

I've always been curious as to why the Gardai don't just send 3 cars out to a random pub in towns each Friday night at closing, set up a barricade just after closing and breathalise everyone who drove out of the place.

[locke]

I've always been curious as to why the Gardai don't just send 3 cars out to a random pub in towns each Friday night at closing, set up a barricade just after closing and breathalise everyone who drove out of the place.

Word would spread quickly and nobody would drive out of the pub.

Now, that is arguably a good thing because it means there aren't drunk-drivers on the road. But the likelihood is that once the gardai are known to have gone, the drivers in question would drive anyway.

The main result would be that nobody was caught.

It's why the gardai always have stops in very non-random places. They're always in a location that once you've seen the gardai, you have no opportunity to turn off.

Unfortunately, that's a very limited list of locations and any local will know routes to avoid the checks.

What I don't understand is the fixation with checking for drink-driving in urban areas where nine out of ten drivers at 2am is in charge of a taxi. Whenever I've seen drivers clearly struggling to control their cars, it's always been in rural areas.