Is it ever ok to drink and drive? (read on)?
Hypothetical situation-
Let's say two people are camping in the mountains, drinking, and they have a car but no cell phones. They are miles from the nearest person. One of them becomes seriously injured and the only way to get help to him is to drive him into town. Is it ethically/morally responsible or irresponsible to drive him? Is it better to let him die or put other people's lives at stake? This is something I've always wondered. I've also wondered if he'd be held liable if someone did get hurt.
Answers:
People would still get charged (more than likely) with a DUI. However, what you're talking about is called the "emergency necessity" defense and only has certain applications. Hypothetically, what you are describing would fall under that category.
Well then I would say it is ok to drive while drinking
you have too much time in your hands like me
i do it all the time, so i don't see the problem.
I would drive to the nearest hospital or police department
I would drive my friend to the hospital if it would save his life. But I might hit a tree or two along the way.
It would be ethical (at least in my belief) to drive and get help.
I would also imagine that if you got caught you'd still be charged with DUI- that is just how the cookie crumbles.
o.o... I'm as stumped as you are XD
If it is a matter of life or death it could be excused. It is still illegal but there are extenuating circumstances which will probably clear the driver.
Read a book...take a walk...you need a hobby...
well personaly i would drive but you still have consequences just because of the terms that were played isn't a call of action to dismiss the ticket! it's still illiegal!
that's why they say to have at least one sobar person around you at all times!
my mom was having a heart attack is it selfish of me to run red lights to get her to the hospital?
I hoonked my horn! but i ran the red light no cops no ticket but it's the same thing! sort of!~
but if your intoxicated behind the wheel your at fault no matter what! it's a hard choise but these are choise that put your morals on duty
as i was personally saying i would do it! it's still wrong but someones life is worth a ticket! and maybe a faster ride to the hostpital!
It is better to let him die trust me please listen to me and if you let him put other people's lives at stake that will be the worst desicion you ever made!!
It would be a very sobering experience to be sure if a camper became seriously injured. In such situatuions, unless 'dead drunk.' it is amazing how the body and mind would 'sober up' quickly. You would be alert and drive.
depends if you are really hammered drunk... if you are drinking it's alright... if you are really drunk then it's really bad
Your friend has to die
It is NEVER OK to drink and drive. I don't care what you go through. Responsibility is the key! People die because of people's selfish behavior too much.
i would say that it would be ok to drink while driving so the person that is injured would have a less chance of dieing!
Well, yes, he would still be liable if somebody else got hurt, i would think. It's a matter of "maximising utility", same as with any decision. Drink-driving is always undesirable, but the situation you've described creates what is probably an even more undesirable outcome if you don't drive.
What you have to do is weigh up which is the most desirable outcome: the possibility that I'll have an accident whilst drink-driving versus the certainty that my friend will die if I don't. (This is assuming that there truly aren't any other options, and I can't think of any so I think that's a fair assumption.)
So any reasonable person would say of course the drink-driving is the "least undesirable" of two undesirable options.
The pedantic responsible adult would say that if you're in such an isolated place then you should have an exit plan, which means at least one of you shouldn't be drinking, or you should have a cell phone, or flares you could let off, etc. But I admit that's a pretty high standard of responsibility, and a big ask of young people.
It would never be OK to let someone die on a mountain rather than drive because you've been drinking. First of all, it is irresponsible to be drinking, especially in excess, in a remote wilderness location (camping in the mountains), when it is obvious that the odds of a serious injury are higher than normal in that environment. But yes, if someone else did get hurt as a result of the drunk driver taking his pal to town for medical treatment, then he would be held liable. However, if the place is as remote as your situation claims, then the odds of him hitting or encountering another driver along the way to town would be slim. If he did encounter someone else, the right thing to do would be to try and stop that person for help, or call for an ambulance to come from that point on.
When it comes down to it - your scenario describes a "lesser of two evils". If someone got hurt because of this person's impaired driving... then OF COURSE they'd still be liable. Just because they're doing it for a good reason doesn't make it "right"
Let's face it... if you really were out in the woods and one of your friends got seriously injured - you'd probably sober up REALLY quick, at least enough to drive to civilization.
If you're SO drunk that you can't sober up to do that... then you're just going to kill yourself trying to drive down the mountain - so it won't do ANYONE any good.
Thousands of people drive every single day while impaired - let's face the truth... it DOES happen. And most of the time, people do it without consequence and nothing happens. As long as people realize that they're putting other's lives at risk when they do this ... and are willing to accept the consequences of their actions... the rest of us just have to keep an eye out and stay away from these reckless folk when we're on the road with them.
since you say you are miles away from the nearest person, you really wouldn't be putting other peoples lives at stake, just your own, since your friend is at death's door anyway.
You should keep some hypothetical flares in the trunk of your car to attract some help!
drive ***** drive!!
I never thought I'd say it's OK to drink and drive but in this case I would say the drunk would have to drive the injured friend into town. As soon as he spotted another person he would have to stop the car and yell for help.
Moral and ethical decision? Hm-mm. the possibility of one friend dying from serious injury as opposed to two people driving off the side of the mountain (the drunk and injured friend) or causing an accident involving more people. Tough decision for a drunk.
He would still be guilty of DUI or DWI no matter the circumstances.
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