# the late late show



## casiopea (27 Nov 2006)

I saw on YouTube how some guy bombarded the beginning of the late late show and heard him being interviewed on ray darcy this morning.  Apparently he is an advocate for prevention of drinkdriving and therefore reducing road deaths.  

Is he not defeating his whole point by being drunk on the late late show?


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## ClubMan (27 Nov 2006)

casiopea said:


> Is he not defeating his whole point by being drunk on the late late show?


Not unless he drove a car onto the set.


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## propertyprof (27 Nov 2006)

ClubMan said:


> Not unless he drove a car onto the set.


 
I saw it on youtube also - hilarious, well mildly.


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## demoivre (27 Nov 2006)

casiopea said:


> Apparently he is an advocate for prevention of drinkdriving and therefore reducing road deaths.



I'd say he's more concerned with making five million euro out of a system invented by himself that he claims will reduce ( he may even have claimed eliminate ) road traffic accidents. He has already tried to sell it to the Road Safety Authority.


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## polaris (27 Nov 2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBbWf-aveR8


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## SteelBlue05 (27 Nov 2006)

demoivre said:


> I'd say he's more concerned with making five million euro out of a system invented by himself that he claims will reduce ( he may even have claimed eliminate ) road traffic accidents. He has already tried to sell it to the Road Safety Authority.


 
What system is he trying to sell?


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## ClubMan (27 Nov 2006)

A plank detector? Worked on Friday night anyway.


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## casiopea (27 Nov 2006)

The system is something to do with GPS and onboard computer navigation in the car, sorry for my vagueness I was only half listening to the man this morning, ultimately it prevents 2 cars crashing as the onboard computer takes over and the drunk driver doesnt need to drive.

He also wants breathalizer tests outside every pub apparently irrospective of people driving or not.

His daughter is a reseacher for RTE on the late late show,  she must be so annoyed with him.


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## ClubMan (27 Nov 2006)

casiopea said:


> The system is something to do with GPS and onboard computer navigation in the car, sorry for my vagueness I was only half listening to the man this morning, ultimately it prevents 2 cars crashing as the onboard computer takes over and the drunk driver doesnt need to drive.


Based on my experience of the flakiness of _GPS _equipment and satellite "visibility" I wouldn't want to trust such a system just yet.


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## SteelBlue05 (27 Nov 2006)

ClubMan said:


> Based on my experience of the flakiness of _GPS _equipment and satellite "visibility" I wouldn't want to trust such a system just yet.


 
I think such a system is the wrong approach, its like a safeguard which would nearly make it "ok" to drink and drink and a "shur, nobody can get hurt anymore" attitude.

If you are going to spend big money developing a system to counter drink driving then develop some sort of breathalyser built into the ignition so that the car cant be started if the driver is over the limit. 

It would be a right pain to have to breathalyse yourself everytime so it would probably work if it prompted you randomly say once out of every 10 starts and insurance companies should offer a big discount for having a system like that installed.


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## Dowee (27 Nov 2006)

A major flaw with that system though would be that you could get someone else to blow into the breathalyser.


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## SteelBlue05 (27 Nov 2006)

Dowee said:


> A major flaw with that system though would be that you could get someone else to blow into the breathalyser.


 
Ah yeah. Fingerprint analysis to be included in version 2 of the system


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## Markjbloggs (27 Nov 2006)

SteelBlue05 said:


> Ah yeah. Fingerprint analysis to be included in version 2 of the system


 
So person A (the driver) does the fingerprint check and person B does the breath test.


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## tallpaul (27 Nov 2006)

The guy had a chance to take out Pat Kenny AND the whole You're A Star mob and all he did was ramble drunkenly!! What an opportunity missed to do the nation a MASSIVE favour !!!!


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## Duplex (27 Nov 2006)

SteelBlue05 said:


> I think my idea is flawed yeah.


 
No.

1. Breathalyser test.

2. Finger print scan.

3. Retina scan.

4. Then finally an in car urine sampler. 

The inebriated prospective driver will give up and walk home.


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## Sunny (27 Nov 2006)

tallpaul said:


> The guy had a chance to take out Pat Kenny AND the whole You're A Star mob and all he did was ramble drunkenly!! What an opportunity missed to do the nation a MASSIVE favour !!!!


 
I know. Brendan whats his face and Linda Martin gone for good. Ireland would become nice to live in again...


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## Betsy Og (27 Nov 2006)

and you thought your Da giving you a hug at the school gate was embarassing ........


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## Superman (28 Nov 2006)

Duplex said:


> 1. Breathalyser test.
> 
> 2. Finger print scan.
> 
> ...


I think there was a device that measured alcohol through the sweat in one's palms.  The device formed part of the steering wheel - so that the car wouldn't allow a drunk person to drive the car.


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## Purple (28 Nov 2006)

Superman said:


> I think there was a device that measured alcohol through the sweat in one's palms.  The device formed part of the steering wheel - so that the car wouldn't allow a drunk person to drive the car.



Wear gloves


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## MugsGame (28 Nov 2006)

Or steer with your feet.

Anyone see Podge and Rodge yesterday evening?


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## davidoco (28 Nov 2006)

Reduce road deaths caused by drink and speeding.

1. Speed.  Fit a limiter to the cars of drivers with penalty pointers over x number of points for speeding.
2. Drink. Fixed jail terms for offenders/repeat offenders.


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## MugsGame (28 Nov 2006)

3. Enforce the laws we already have. 
4. Breathalyse drivers in pub car parks!


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## ubiquitous (28 Nov 2006)

MugsGame said:


> 4. Breathalyse drivers in pub car parks!



I have heard this suggestion loads of times. It doesn't seem to make any sense to me. Breathalyser checkpoints in car parks would be highly visible and as a result would catch nobody, as intending drunk drivers would   clearly see the checkpoint and presumably change their minds about driving. Checkpoints a short distance away, but far away enough not to be visible from the pub, will be far more effective in catching offenders.


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## Sunny (28 Nov 2006)

ubiquitous said:


> I have heard this suggestion loads of times. It doesn't seem to make any sense to me. Breathalyser checkpoints in car parks would be highly visible and as a result would catch nobody, as intending drunk drivers would clearly see the checkpoint and presumably change their minds about driving. Checkpoints a short distance away, but far away enough not to be visible from the pub, will be far more effective in catching offenders.


 
But isn't the whole purpose of the thing to get them to change their mind about driving if that is what they are planning to do. Better that nobody even gets behind the wheel so nobody ever gets caught than having someone drink and drive for 500 yards into the waiting arm of the law. Not very realistic I know but we can always dream.


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## ubiquitous (29 Nov 2006)

Indeed, but I don't think there are enough Gardai in the force to man checkpoints in car parks and on the roads and deal with all the other crime,  public order and other incidents that require attention on an ongoing basis. Placing Gardai in car parks will effectively take them off the roads meaning that if I want to drive home from the pub I can simply walk out of the pub, have my car parked a few hundred yards away and drive home from there. 

And don't forget that an increase in drunk or tipsy pedestrians walking on roads at night (particularly on rural roads without footpaths) will inevitably lead to more pedestrian fatalities.


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## bogwarrior (29 Nov 2006)

davidoco said:


> Reduce road deaths caused by drink and speeding.
> 1. Speed.  Fit a limiter to the cars of drivers with penalty pointers over x number of points for speeding.


Problem isn't simply speed, its inappropriate speed in a given situation.  Most of the crashes are by people doing 80km in a 60 zone, or 60km in a 40 zone - very few are caused by drivers doiing 120km/ph in a 100km/ph dual-carriageway.

Limiting cars to 100 or 80 km will still allow drivers to break the speed limit on small country roads or suburban estates.




davidoco said:


> 2. Drink. Fixed jail terms for offenders/repeat offenders.


Agree.


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## daltonr (29 Nov 2006)

Have they sorted out the random breath test nonsense yet?
Last I heard they were still wasting time arguing about whether or not it was constitutional.


On the front of my US drivers licence there is a statement at the bottom that says

"Operatioin of a motor vehicle constitutes consent to any sobriety test required by law"

If I fail a test, or even If i refuse to take a test, I lose my licence for 1 year.

Surely it can't be rocket science to implement a scheme like this .  By making the act of driving be the consent to tests you get around any constitutional issues.

Of course you still need to enforce this, but that's another issue.  At least lets stop the pointless arguments about what laws we are allowed to have.   It's bad enough that there are so many bad laws that aren't enforced, but when a good law comes along every reason under the sun is dreamt up not to implement it.

-Rd


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## auto320 (29 Nov 2006)

daltonr said:


> Have they sorted out the random breath test nonsense yet?
> Last I heard they were still wasting time arguing about whether or not it was constitutional.
> 
> 
> ...


 
You miss the point -- we can't think of bringing in drink-driving laws that have't first been passed by the vintners association!

Of course real deterrents would save lives. If drivers knew for certain that their cars would be seized and crushed, as well as losing their licenses, it would stop a lot of them drinking and driving, or indeed driving without insurance!


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## ubiquitous (30 Nov 2006)

daltonr said:


> Have they sorted out the random breath test nonsense yet?
> Last I heard they were still wasting time arguing about whether or not it was constitutional.
> ....
> 
> ...



You're out of touch. Random breath testing has been in force here for several months at this stage.


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## AlastairSC (1 Dec 2006)

Why not add a device to the speed limit signs that triggers an electronic governer in the car? Then, as you pass the sign your speed is capped. A bit like the devices on junctions that buses use to have the lights change for them.


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## Purple (4 Dec 2006)

He was at it again on Saturday night...


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## frash (4 Dec 2006)

He musn't have had the "GPS and onboard computer navigation" thing turned on - otherwise it would have served before he crashed into RTE


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## ajapale (4 Dec 2006)

frash said:


> He musn't have had the "GPS and onboard computer navigation" thing turned on - otherwise it would have served before he crashed into RTE



LOL!

I would advise posters to be carefull not to prejudice the case since the Saturday Night incident concerns criminal damage and is currently being investigated by the Guards.


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## tallpaul (4 Dec 2006)

ajapale said:


> LOL!
> 
> I would advise posters to be carefull not to prejudice the case since the Saturday Night incident concerns criminal damage and is currently being investigated by the Guards.


 
Fair point but I think that RTE running the story on their main evening news and interviewing Ryan Turbridy about it may prejudice the case slightly more than AAM...


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## Leo (4 Dec 2006)

Has anyone a link to details of the proposed system? I'd love to see the specs.


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## frash (5 Dec 2006)

TV3 should get this guy on for an interview


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## Eurofan (5 Dec 2006)

Leo said:


> Has anyone a link to details of the proposed system? I'd love to see the specs.



Specs? It's nonsense as far as i know. Basically he's talking about using gps systems with on-board computers on every car on the road to communicate with each other and determine if a crash is about to happen and then intervene in the cars controls to avoid the crash.

In theory it's possible. Bmw and Merc have been tinkering with such ideas for a while with a view to integrating them in cars a few generations from now (i.e. well over a decade).

In fairness it's the kind of theory that a six year old would come up; Would it work? Sure. Is it even _remotely_ feasible to impliment today? No.

He's got some nerve to look for €5 million for this 'idea' (it's been thought about years ago but no one else was crazy enough to think it could be done today).


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## Fintan (5 Dec 2006)

Eurofan said:


> In theory it's possible. Bmw and Merc have been tinkering with such ideas for a while with a view to integrating them in cars a few generations from now (i.e. well over a decade).



Collision detection systems are currently available in high-end cars in Europe and Asia. As far as I know its not available in the US due to potential legal problems.

So as to why he thinks he could sell just the idea for €5 million is a wonder


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## Leo (5 Dec 2006)

Yeah, pretty much convinced it wouldn't work myself, but would love to see his proposal.

The only way GPS would be accurate enough for this application would be through the use of Differential GPS with ground based stations. Each and every vehicle on the road would have to be fitted with transceivers, and somewhere, the location and velocity of all of these would have to be tracked. The costs would be horrendous! Not to mention the fact that many of the worst accidents are not the result of two vehicles crashing into each other. 

Technology has a part to play here, but it has to be self contained. Systems along the lines of fatigue detection devices (already in production) and radar would have a greater, um, impact!


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