An old college friend sent me a recent article from the NY Times discussing a nascent industry in Korea called replacement drivers.
The gist of it is, if you are too inebriated to drive home you can pay someone else to drive you home by using your own vehicle — kind of like a personalized taxi service or not-so-classy chauffer-mobile.
The story goes on to describe the average night of these replacement drivers, how they have to be very resourceful in getting back to other buzzed patrons after dropping off clientele throughout the city.
While I have never knowingly met one of these guys, somehow I doubt that Seoul is the only city that has ever had use for the service.
Also, one of the objectives of this service is to beat impromptu road blocks set up by the police force which is “cracking down” on driving under the influence. Incidentally, while walking back from the subway last night I saw this take place.
Officers maneuvered precariously along the dashed lines and directed traffic with those glowsticks used on aircraft runways. They would approach the driver and have them blow near an electronic breathalyzer.
It was a surprisingly speedy process and I only saw one guy pulled over who was promptly given a bottle of water to flush the purported substance(s) out of his system.
Of course, being the libertarian curmudgeon that I am, I’m not a huge fan of prosecuting these blokes because no crime has actually been committed (a la pre-crime in Minority Report). Kind of like arresting someone for carrying a gun because they have the potential to harm someone.
Some opposing food for thought:
Legalize Drunk Driving
The Non-Crime of Drunk Driving
Drunk Driving Laws Cause Drunk Driving Accidents