It seems there's an attempt to infuse a slight bit of common sense into South Dakota laws. The lawmakers there have passed a bill (out of committee) that would remove drunk horseback riding as a crime -- and drunk bike riding.

Yes, it sounds stupid, but I actually know someone in Minnesota who got a DUI while riding a bicycle. That's right, hundreds of dollars in fines, community service, massively increased AUTOMOBILE insurance, police record, and all the associated stigma -- for drinking 3 beers and riding his bicycle.

The new law would allow people to ride a horse or bicycle home when they're drunk (keep in mind these days "drunk" means you had as little as ONE beer with the moronic 0.08 BAC laws). And as a side effect, this might actually decrease "drunk" driving -- since before there was no advantage to riding your bike home -- you might as well drive you car -- the penalty was the same!

This could also help businesses (since that's one of the primary purposes of government today). For example, I often consider going to the local pub for a beer. However, I realize that I cannot, because if I drink one beer and leave, I could get a DUI. Instead, I just buy a case and stay home.

If I could ride my bike to the pub, have a beer, and then ride home without fear of worse punishment than committing murder because of a DUI on a bicycle, I could actually visit the pub more often. Sure, I might scratch up a knee on my way home, but government would have more of my money, so they'd be happen.

Posted by: Ogre at 03:02 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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