An Epidemic Of Abject Idiocy….
So my wife and I are watching T.V. the other night, and we are watching the tail end of the St. John’s Newfoundland newscast, when I see a story that piques my interest.
I think to myself,”George, this would make a great little lighthearted piece for blog fodder.”
One More Reason To Be Afraid Of Clowns
So I Google it this morning, thinking that it should be in the news in the appropriate local paper. I couldn’t find the original story I saw on T.V., but was surprised to learn that I had stumbled across an apparent epidemic…..
It’s not the first time a Newfoundlander has been arrested for drunk driving by falling asleep in a McDonald’s Drive-Thru.
Police in St. John’s said they arrested a man for impaired driving at an unusual location: the drive-thru lane at a McDonald’s restaurant.
Staff at an unspecified outlet called police early Monday morning when the man fell asleep at the wheel of his vehicle, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said.
The man, 37, was held pending a court appearance on charges of impaired driving and driving while prohibited.
It isn’t the first time it has happened in Canada.
On Sunday July 29th, 2007 at about 5:54pm County of Wellington OPP officers responded to a report of a man asleep behind the wheel in the Drive-thru lane of McDonalds located on Tower Street, Fergus.
Officers attended and found a 1996 Pontiac Transport van in the Drive-thru lane and the driver asleep. The driver was awakened by police and found to have been drinking. Malcolm Ross Woods aged 25 years of Elora has been charged with Impaired Driving and Over 80 mgs. Woods is scheduled to appear in Guelph Court on August 20th, 2007 to answer to the charges.
A Sign Of The Times....
IT ISN’T.…….. EVEN………THAT UNCOMMON………………SERIOUSLY:
Preston Parker, a Florida State wide receiver, is the latest “victim” of the trend, and most embarrassingly, he was in the McDonald’s drive-thru when he got busted.
According to police, Parker had fallen asleep with his car’s engine running and the transmission in drive. When he woke up, according to police, an officer smelled alcohol on his breath.
Parker, 21, needed to lean against his car to find balance, struggled through a field sobriety test and admitted that he had smoked marijuana either Friday night or early Saturday morning, police said.
Oddly, Parker still “passed” a breathalyzer test, registering only a .054, which is below the Florida legal limit (even though he failed a field test; I assume this is the grounds for the DUI).
This is proof positive that our civilization is in decline.
Misplaced Grace 
If this is civilization in decline, I apparently have a front row seat!
sinned34
March 17, 2011
Ouch…
Sorry to hit so close to home.
I can’t believe that this is all too common, and that you have a similar anecdote says that it is.
George W.
March 17, 2011
That was only my most recent anecdote. I have three from my adult years (not including college years, because friends passed out in vehicles outside the bar or their house, or telling tales of how they couldn’t remember getting home from the pub but discovered their car in their driveway in the morning were depressingly common).
I’d be curious to find out how many people who are found passed out in their vehicle after drinking and driving are repeat offenders. I’ll wager it’s shockingly common amongst problem drinkers.
sinned34
March 18, 2011
Dude. This.
http://www.segurosagropecuarios.org/horse/drunken-man-on-horse-goes-through-mcdonalds-drive-thru
I think the URL says it all.
Jason Thibeault
March 22, 2011
OMFG!
AWWSOME!
George W.
March 23, 2011
Drunken driving is a universally growing problem as the use of cars is growing. I do not know wich is a sign of more idiotic behaviour. Individual drunk drivers, or the fact that we as a civilization, are not trying to correct the obvious error of organising personal transport by cars. The inaction against car ownership is argued by politicians as hindering economics and personal freedom. I wonder how much the climate change is going to hinder economics and personal freedom, when living conditions will seriously decrease in areas of the world with overpopulation as it is allready.
Estonians have had a few cases of drunken drivers caught, who were also driving without a license and blind. I do not know if it is the same guy again and again, though. Here in Finland we have the one of the most stoopid laws ever, on that if you kill someone by driving over them, it is seen as mitigating argument, that you were drunken driving.
rautakyy
April 20, 2011