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From: doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee)
Newsgroups: net.legal
Subject: Re: Alcohol-related accidents (what does that mean?)
Message-ID: <993@terak.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Jan-86 13:29:58 EST
Article-I.D.: terak.993
Posted: Thu Jan 16 13:29:58 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 20-Jan-86 05:37:26 EST
References: <127@rruxp.UUCP> <582@sigma.UUCP> <951@burl.UUCP>
Organization: Calcomp Display Products Division, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Lines: 17

> Yes, indeed.  In fact, if a drunk is walking down the sidewalk and a car
> runs up onto the sidewalk and kills him, it is officially listed as an
> "alcohol-related death".

If it happened in California, the drunk was probably guilty of being
drunk "in or about an automobile".  Yup, it isn't legal to take a taxi
home or even to go near a parked car if you're drunk in California.

The *intent* of the law was to allow officers investigating a traffic
accident to arrest a drunk person that they suspected was driving, even
though they couldn't be sure (perhaps he was found staggering around
the accident scene).

[This law was on the books around 1970.  I presume that it hasn't been
repealed since then, but I don't know.]
-- 
Doug Pardee -- CalComp -- {hardy,savax,seismo,decvax,ihnp4}!terak!doug