Ant McPartlin arrested over drink-driving collision

[Mick F]

............................ All three of those conditions are widely perceived to be absent.

My point (up thread) entirely.

When was the last time anyone saw the police?
If they saw one, was he/she remotely interested in passing traffic?

In order to be arrested for drink-driving, the vehicle has had to have been in some sort of RTI and the police arriving before the driver could get away.

[Bonefishblues]

I hope he sorts himself out.

I hope, if he doesn't, that he doesn't drive whilst intoxicated. It's notable that he had a passenger in the car IIRC. His friends and colleagues need to do a better job than they did on this occasion, I suspect, despite his protection of them as having been an unwitting victim also.

Either one is acceptable in terms of road safety, but personally, I hope he does the former.

[horizon]

FWIW, I think that the possibility of disqualification from driving can be a very effective deterrent against bad driving for the type of person who would not ignore a ban. What's needed is a perception that the risk of being detected and prosecuted is high and that on conviction disqualification is inevitable when it's the prescribed sentence. All three of those conditions are widely perceived to be absent.

I'm happy that disqualification be used as both a deterrent and as punishment. And, as you say further down in your post, as rehabilitation. My concern was that the fourth use of sentencing, protection of the public, would be lost in the fog of punishment. I don't insist that it be imposed for life (but could be as justice served to relatives for example) but a short disqualification leaves vulnerable road users again at risk.

And now to the enforcement of disqualification. If it cannot be or isn't enforced, then all its roles fall short. I've tried to avoid a discussion about enforcement in order to stay with my point about protection. Just to say for now, that I do believe it is enforceable but accept that it is a major concern and of course might undermine any use of disqualification in whatever role it was intended.

[thirdcrank]

Re: enforcement, IMO disqualification is largely self-enforcing when imposed on those who are likely to be deterred by its availability as a punishment. That's why being able to escape disqualification so easily with pleas of exceptional hardship is so wrong: the more effective the sanction, the better the chance of avoiding it.

Using the enforcement methods available today to obtain evidence sufficient to secure a criminal conviction for disqualified driving is at best sporadic. I'm not suggesting nobody is ever convicted but I do say it's the tip of the iceberg. It's most likely to occur quite by chance. Public safety may be affected in different ways. A certain way of stopping bad drivers driving would be very good, but the moment you have bad drivers behind the wheel with a strong incentive to outrun the police, considerable danger can be caused. It doesn't even need the police to have spotted a disqualified driver, never mind trying to stop them. The approach of a police car with beacons flashing might trigger flight. There's a lot of concern about police chases and the baddies are well-aware of that.