this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2025
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[–] socsa@piefed.social 0 points 2 days ago (9 children)

This is dumb. Write a drunk in public, sure, but a drunk cyclist isn't a danger to anyone but themselves.

[–] Krompus@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

Depends on the path, traffic and speed. They're still a danger to pedestrians, other cyclists, and cars (not directly dangerous but can cause an accident).

[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

I get where you're going with this but it's not that dumb IMO, the maximum penalty absolutely is dumb.

If a person can barely cycle and obviously is drunk on a bike I think it's fair to assume that they're a danger to others so it should be illegal but the police shouldn't be breathalysing everyone.

With tweaks to the law I think it's fine:

  1. Allow 0.3 instead of 0.15 so you can have two drinks and ride a bike. Bikes go a lot slower so the reaction time requirement is not the same.

  2. Removing driving license for a non-traffic violation doesn't make sense, it disproportionately affects those that have licenses.

  3. The fine and jailtime is ludicrous. Add in recklessly riding a bike for those such as riding too fast past pedestrians and jailtime for seriously injuring someone like breaking their leg or something.

Generally you want people to ride a bike instead of driving a car when drinking, it's a lot safer for everyone but still discourage it enough so people consider taking public transportation. If people walk their bike through crowds and then ride along empty streets just let them.

Bottom line, it's a good idea, but horrible execution.

[–] MrFinnbean@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

Only thing i agree with you is that this is dumb.

Getting fine from public intoxication is just so weird concept for me. Especially when thinking some assbackwards places where its legal to carry a gun in public, but carrying open beer bottle is punishable.

Also drunk cyclist can be dangerous. If they collide with pedestarian or another cyclist there is good change for a hospital trip, or in extreme cases morgue. Especially now when e-bikes are more common.

Few years back some drunkard who was biking at the side of large road suddenly and without any signal crossed the road and allmost got hit by my car. I needed to pull over after that and wait for some time to get my hands stop shaking. If i would had bad brakes he would be dead and i would be traumatised, or if there would have been another car following me there would have been a crash.

Reason why i think its dumb is that if the punishment for driving a car and driving a bike is more or less the same, more people are going to choose the car.

[–] fodor@lemmy.zip 3 points 12 hours ago

See, the larger vehicle is responsible for accidents over here, almost all of the time. So if cyclists get drunk and a car hits them, the car driver could get a lot of flack, legally and in insurance costs. Which is kinda fucked up, but that's the system.

So we expect cyclists to be sober. So they don't create those situations.

[–] Saapas@piefed.zip 5 points 1 day ago

Could hurt other cyclists and pedestrians, especially other cyclists of going fast 

[–] k0e3@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 day ago

What? If some drunken fuck rams into me on a bike, then I'll l get injured.

[–] nailingjello@piefed.zip 14 points 2 days ago (2 children)

It sounds like you are saying that if a drunk cyclist hits a pedestrian, it's impossible for the pedestrian to get injured.

Or if that same cyclist weaves out in to the street, a car that hits them cannot be damaged (and the driver of the car won't be held liable even though cyclists pretty much always have the right of way vs. cars).

[–] socsa@piefed.social 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Cyclists injure fewer pedestrians per year than sidewalks do.

[–] MrFinnbean@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

Yeah and donkeys kill more people per year than sharks and more people die at their home every year than at volcano eruptions and earthquakes put together.

If you want to quantify danger of something you need to account the number of encounters.

And you did not answer the question.

[–] nailingjello@piefed.zip 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Thanks for confirming my assumptions above. I don't agree.

[–] mjr 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

How can you disagree with a recorded fact? 🙄

[–] nailingjello@piefed.zip 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Based on their comment above I asked if the following assumptions were correct. They appeared to confirm them:

It sounds like you are saying that if a drunk cyclist hits a pedestrian, it's impossible for the pedestrian to get injured.

Or if that same cyclist weaves out in to the street, a car that hits them cannot be damaged (and the driver of the car won't be held liable even though cyclists pretty much always have the right of way vs. cars).

Are you saying there are recorded facts that agree with their assumptions? Could you please provide a source?

[–] mjr 0 points 1 day ago

No, I'm saying cyclists injure fewer pedestrians per year than sidewalks do, which is what your disagreeing comment appeared to be replying to. It's a recorded fact that cyclists injure fewer pedestrians per year than sidewalks. For my country, that's in the Recorded Road Casualties of Great Britain dataset.

I replied about your assumptions in another comment.

[–] mjr 2 points 1 day ago

Not impossible, but very very rare in practice.

And whether the driver is liable varies around the world. Most countries require drivers not to hit dumb animals, including drunk humans.

[–] ThomasWilliams@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If its like Australia, then its probably because the way the legislation is worded.

If the DUI legislation has demerit point accumulation for DUI, and it covers all vehicles, not just motor vehicles, then drunk cycling or horse riding could also result in a loss of licence.

[–] fodor@lemmy.zip 1 points 12 hours ago

It is a single point system. One DUI and your license is gone. For cars and bicycles.

[–] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Cyclists here in Japan flaunt all the rules and ride like maniacs (illegally in most cases) on the sidewalks (and also illegally with earphones and staring at their phones). Pedestrians have absolute right-of-way and the cyclist is at fault for hitting them. Add to this generally high density and bad spacial awareness and it's bad without drunks. Absolutely keep people from drinking off the cycles.

[–] k0e3@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

I dunno about what part of Japan you're in but what grinds my gears in Okinawa is how they NEVER use their damn bells to let me know they're approaching me from behind.