Safety Campaigners Ignore Motorists' Nightmare: Drunk Walking
We have long argued that anti-drink driving campaigners are wrong to ignore the problems of drunk pedestrians. No, really. For reference: Grand Rapids TV station WTOL carried a report on a District Court Judge who struck down a ruling that allowed Michigan police to breathalyze pedestrians without a warrant. Needless to say, the ACLU was at the forefront of this effort, which negated law enforcement's ability to get tough on teenage drinking and drunk and disorderly conduct. And, we'd like to point out, could help prevent drunk pedestrians from stepping in front of hapless motorists. Although sobriety wasn't mentioned in this morning's Atlanta Journal Constitution report on a recent pedestrian fatality ("GSU law student Paul Brady, 26, died of injuries he suffered after he stepped in front of a Georgia Building Authority truck. The truck had the green light, witnesses told police. The truck driver said she tried to stop but couldn't before she hit Brady."), the paper's report on jaywalking offers a sobering look at a lethal problem.
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we dont need any more laws-its called j-walking ,give them a ticket dont waste time and money creating another redundant law. if i was the drunk getting the ticket ,id tell the cop to piss off anyway-go arrest and illegal alien or something.
So what would be the legal blood-alcohol limit of said walking drunks? Do you take away their walking rights if caught staggering down Main st? I can see it now. Judges ordering 1000s to couch arrest.
But Officer, I was too drunk to walk so I had to drive....
I am/was one of Paul's classmates and I was MOST surprised to see his name mentioned on TTAC, and even MORE surprised to see it included in a story which is presented as about drunk pedestrians. Paul was not drunk when he left the College of Law to cross the street to the gym; the story seems to imply that there is a connection between drunk walking and the tragedy that occurred. I realise that this is to some extent unintentional/accidental but nevertheless I hope that you can understand that in many readers' view, his death and drunks crossing the street are somehow connected. That is an unfortunate blemish on the memory of a beloved classmate and wonderful person and deeply hurtful to his friends and family to see his name mentioned in the same breath as drunken crossing. I'm sure you will understand that his family and friends would wish that the story be altered to be a little more accurate- Respectfully, Alan Thomas, 1L Ga State College of Law