Also
I got my first drunk driving test of any sort last night. He had me stare
at his finger while still sitting in the car. He said later that some
people just pick up the ‘bar smell’. Isn’t that a cheering thought?
I hadn’t had a drop.
(Colleen was in the car though, and she’d had 2 beers, so maybe that was
it).
Alas, I got a ticket for turning right on a blinking red without stopping.
He assured me it wouldn’t hurt his feelings if I go to court over it.
Usually the cop is just doing his/her job, and doesn’t care whether the ticket sticks or not at court. Unless you’re being an asshole in response. In those cases, they can write “ND” (no deal) on the ticket, a signal to the judge that you were being a problem, and the judge will consider that accordingly.
I was my usual charming self.
I figured you were unlikely to yell at the officer, threaten that you’ll sue, or otherwise do something dumb.
Oh man, you’re going to jail.
;)
Seriously. :D
That’s illegal now.
Cops used to write stuff on tickets in code, but it got out of hand. If someone was uncooperative they would write the letters MBP on it. Stands for Male Body Part. Meaning you were being a dick. This was found to be inappropriate because it was a “secret” signal and the accused has a right to face his accusers and hear ALL evidence being presented against him.
That happened not to long ago, read it on the web. I am also not naive enough to believe that all cops have stopped using variants of that system. heh
How does that determine if you’ve been drinking?
If your eyes don’t track instantly, it shows a gap in perception time – same reason you don’t stop in time when drunk.
I’m pretty hardcore against drunk driving – a good friend of mine has been significantly paralyzed for the past dozen years or so because of a drunk driver.