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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Driving after E?

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dailygrind

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 30, 2002
Messages
35
Hey all... I have searched this but found nothing really relevant
What does eveyone think about driving after rolling (ie. After the party)? I tend to feel fine after a big party (Say 8 hours after dropping) but 8 hours later, is there any dramatic affect on your co-ordination that would make it dangerous to drive a car?
Cheers.
 
Couple of major issues there:
1. Sleep deprivation.
Using amphetamines or other drugs often involves you staying awake long past normal sleeping hours. This leaves you tired and functioning less than full speed.
2. Motor control impairment.
No matter how 'with it' you feel, chances are your body is not responding quite as normal. Your control of fine motor skills is quite probably impaired.
3. Impaired reflexes.
Your reflexes will be, in many cases slowed down by fatigue. Even speeding your face off won't really speed up your reaction time to an unexpected driving incident.
4. Impaired vision.
Psychedelics often leave your vision altered from normal. Open eye visuals are not good for driving. Eye wiggles are not good for driving. Squinting through red, dry, tired eyes isn't necessarily the best either, especially in that horrible morning sun...
5. Concentration.
After a session on drugs, your brain is concentrating on many random kinds of stimuli. This can be distracting, and listening to the techno coming from your engine when the radio isn't on could mean your judgement is impaired ;)
Just because police can't necessarily breath test you for drugs, they can ask you to perform several sobriety tests, such as reciting the alphabet, estimating 30 seconds elapsed time with your eyes closed, standing on one leg, et cetera. They also check pupils.
Please try to avoid driving after drugs. It's so much safer to get a taxi or have a designated sober driver.
BigTrancer :)
PS: This thread is a no flame zone. All replies will be constructive, it was an honest question.
 
First up, there's a series of threads in Aus Social which deals with this issue - started by De Quincy (DQ) when his father was killed by a driver who had taken pills the night before. So obviously you won't find many people that condone this activity here.
Here are the threads:
super important
Super Important - Drugs and Driving
It should go without saying that you should never drive under the influence of substances. As for driving afterwards, that's a grey area and depends how long afterwards and what you've had etc... The best answer is to say no, because you are probably still imparied, as BT mentioned above.
[ 08 June 2002: Message edited by: Pleonastic ]
 
to simplify BT & PLOE'S answers it's just not worth it trust me i know
 
You may feel fine but you have taken mind altering substances only hours before you intend on getting behind the wheel of a 2 tonne piece of metal. Drugs alter your perceptions of reality, you may think you are reacting normally to stimuli but I can guarantee your not. One person staying sober for the night or 4 people throwing there loose change together for a cab is all it takes to prevent a lifetime of regret, don't forget its not only your life your putting at risk other people use the roads too.
 
This is taken from Alexander Shulgin's Pihkal book which is the bible of psychedelics:
IDIOT, n. A person of either sex who drives a car, motorcycle, or even a bicycle, for that matter, on a public road while under the influence of a psychedelic drug. Most researchers in this area have done it at least once, sometimes in an emergency, but only in a life-and-death situation is it excusable.
As for after a night-out, people are going to use their own judgement... but the best bet is, as everyone has said here, to take a taxi, public transit, or have a designated driver...
Click to expand...
 
I used to drive trashed all the time. While it was fun and all, looking back, I'm really glad nothing ever happened to me. I wrote my car off just before Christmas last year (not drug-related, also not my fault :p) and haven't bothered getting a new car. But if I did have one, I certainly wouldn't be driving around after a big night any more.
 
but only in a life-and-death situation is it excusable
While I'm a big fan of Shulgin, I think this is rather stupid...
Driving under the influence of anything creates a life and death situation. Maybe in some circumstances, it's excusable - drugs worn off hours ago, medical emergency of a life threatning nature...
Regardless, in 99.9% of cases, you're only going to put yourself into more risk of death by driving.
A situation I witnessed: We need to get to the hospital. X is overdosing on GHB, his breathing is low and irregular, he's lost contact with the conscious world. Everyone else is also on a fairly high dose of G. In driving X to the hospital intoxicated, we could have killed X, someone else in the car (or all of us) another totally unrelated driver, a kid on their way to school, anyone... In hindsight: we should have called an ambulance. In medical emergencies, please call an ambulance... They'll get there faster than you'll get to the hospital (remember the road code regarding emergency vehicles) and they can provide help on the spot.
I think the biggest issue with driving scattered is patience. You get out of a rave/club in the morning, had a couple of pills the night before, it's freezing cold, you're coming down and not liking it... You just wanna get home to bed... Public transport means waiting in the cold and when scattered/coming down and working out fares for everyone. It's also gonna take longer than driving, you might need to catch a combination of trains, busses, trams, ferrys or what not to get home... Even then, they don't put you at your front door. If it's a short taxi ride, sure, most people go for it... But anything other 20 bucks, and I think people start looking for alternate routes home... Easy solution huh! Drive! :(
I'd really like to encourage everyone to make sure they've got a sober driver, or can get home by public transport. Sure, it's cold, you're coming down and the thought of your cosy bed is all that's on your mind... Take the time to get home safely, or you might wake up in a hospital bed... If at all. :\
The last thing I've got to say is think about others. You're endangering the lives of other people, which is unjust and almost bastardly.
Read the threads Pleonastic linked to. If everything that's been posted here, and those threads don't get through to you... You're not a responsible drug user, not a responsible user of the roads.
Sorry if this has all been a little harsh, but I've become quite touchy on this subject...
Be safe :)
Click to expand...
 
AND, if you share with 3 other ppl, how expensive is a taxi? There's usually someone in the queue going your way...
Saves on parking fines, & costs - when you DO find a park that is, flyers under the windscreen, stressing about being too out of it. You wouldn't even consider hopping in the car drunk at the very least ofr fear of being booked.
Catching PT is a pain but considerably less of a pain than running into a tree/kid/dog/other car...
Besides, talking to the cabby is fun - you can count on them to have a view about everything ;)
 
This certainly is an interesting topic. While I totally support the argument that one should never drive when impaired by drugs such as speed, E etc, I would like to make a few points.
From personal experiance I can say that sleep devprivatoin is possibly one of the hugest factors in all this. While in the army I experianced a number occatoins where I went without sleep for up to 4 days. At about the 4 day mark your in a real state, alot of people have visuals and hear stuff thats not there. Some people are simply more affected than others however when it comes to this. And the effects of sleep deprivatoin also seem to ebb and flow, one minute your feeling wide awake and the next you just want to fall on your face. Even if you are straight, if you are suffering from sleep deprivatoin and behind the wheel, its similar in inpariment to being drunk.
Simply put I would say the biggest danger is the unpredicability of it. You also severly lose your ability to judge what you are and are not capable of doing.
If you can, take public transport, its cheap and with the way some of those taxi drivers drive cetainly safer!
 
Thanks guys...had a huuge 1 last nite & caught a cab home this morning ;)
My car's not out the front...where the hell did I stash it...? (!) (j/k)
 
I'm not saying its right, but everyone i know drives home the night after a big one.
 
Try not to do it, you could always pass out, I once fainted at home, so you should always have 'clean' driver, could save your life :)
Hug da kitty~~~~~~~~
Rave safe!
 
Try not to do it, you could always pass out, I once fainted at home, so you should always have a 'clean' driver, could save your life :)
Hug da kitty~~~~~~~~
Rave safe!
 
I don't drive a car.
I fucken hate cars.
Cars are dangerous enough without people on comedowns driving them.
Two words: Public Transport
 
Can I just make a point which will probably not sit well with most of you. Sober drivers are not necessarily the solution. Think about it. They've been up all night, prolly dancing and chatting nearly as much as the people on the amphetamines or what have you. A tired and sober driver is really just as dangerous as anyone else at the wheel - hell, the closest I've come to grief on the road has been driving home from a party to which I went completely sober last year. I do not condone driving after pilling. But my main point is, that the only sure way to get a driver who is not fatigued or impaired in any way is to have someone drive who was NOT at the party, but who was tucked away in bed until about an hour before you needed a lift home.
 
thankyou to all the self righteous people on this board, your snobbery never fails to amaze...
OK, if you DO find you're in a position requiring you to drive, follow a few of these rules and you will REDUCE THE RISKS (not eliminate) of driving while tired and wrecked.

  • * Drive slower than you normally would. Often it is hard to judge speed while you are tired, so just drive 10 k's under the limit.
    * Make SURE you have a passenger riding with you. Get him/her to keep an eye on the road, and also an eye on you to keep you from falling asleep. If he/she starts nodding off, then pull over and have a 15 minute power nap (oh TAC, what would we do without you ;) )
    * Try and have a cup of coffee before you hop in the car. A little caffiene fix will help you stay alert. Avoid having more drugs before you drive (ie: speed) because it may have adverse effects. A little may help however.
    * If you can't remember how to turn on your car, YOU ARE NOT IN A FIT STATE TO DRIVE. Wait an hour, try and get some sleep and try again.
Its all well and good to preach DO NOT DRIVE, however this is unrealistic in some cases. Take precautions, avoid if possible, but if you DO find yourself in this position, consider the above steps.
Any contributions welcome :)
[ 11 June 2002: Message edited by: Mr. Horse ]
 
Sober/fatigued drivers aren't a solution... But they're a world safer than intoxicated/scattered ones.
 
Its all well and good to preach DO NOT DRIVE, however this is unrealistic in some cases.
That's not gonna let me stop preaching it though.
Which is a more appropriate method of HM? 'We know you crazy kids like your cars' or 'Just say no'
It's not like people are always gunna drive cars, like people are are always gunna take drugs?
I'm not overly happy with this attitude at all.
[ 11 June 2002: Message edited by: number86 ]
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