caught drink driving..
 

Hi again my friends...

Just a quick question, What happens when you can't pay a fine?

My friend was in the Consum car park when he had a ding with another car... the owner of the other car was spanish and didn't want to accept any money... he wanted to call the police,, there was allegedly no damage to the other vehicle (I don't know as I wasn't there), but the police arrived and breathalised my friend, first test showed a level of .68 which apparently was an arrestable offence, the second test 30 mins later showed .54. he was issued with a fine of €1000.00, which is reduced by 50% if paid within 20 days...

my friend has no way of paying either of these amounts.. and I am just wondering what the outcome may be... will he go to Jail, will he be deported??? Will the authorities let him pay a little each month.. I have no idea.. but I am hoping someone out there will at least have a clue.. also, what are the jails like here in Spain, I was an officer in England, and when I left the poor lads that were incarcerated, they were usually either watching Sky, or playing on expensive games consoles... I used to get soooo annoyed... sometimes felt like breaking the law just to get their lifestyle... (just kidding lol )

hope someone can just give me a clue... xx

Re: caught drink driving..
 

I would suggest that with the alcohol levels, presumably during the day, the person needs urgent medical attention of sorts. The most obvious answer is AA, very active in Spain, there will be a meeting within a short distance of where you live.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

Sell the car.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

Speaking of the car, I'm now wondering what happened to it. Was the friend allowed to drive himself home again after being breathalysed and fined for being over the limit?

Re: caught drink driving..
 

You were obviously not a police or prison officer in UK.

Failure to pay a fine results in further court action. Standard procedure will follow.
Yes, you can ask the court to allow you to pay by installments, many do this. Do this immediately for the lower amount.
Imprisonment is only likely for refusal to pay a fine.
Jail is not nice as you would have known if you hadn't obtained your 'facts' from the Daily Mail.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

One hopes not. Danger to himself and others.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

A reading over 60 is a prison offence, but in Spain they never send you to prison for a first offence if the sentence is less than two years unless it involves GBH.

Non payment of a fine will only give a short sentence and the same will apply.

A court should allow time to pay.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

Spanish jails are not nice places, they do not have all the niceties of UK jails. Possibly the driver of the other car smelt alcohol on your friends breath, which is why he called the police, as has been said, perhaps you need to get your friend to sort out the reason he was over the limit at that time of day.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

I'm not disagreeing with what you say but the limits in Spain are far lower than the UK.

A reading of 60 in Spain, which as has already been said is a potential prison sentence, is equivalent of a reading in the UK of only 50% over the limit which is a comparably low reading by UK standards.

I'm not sure it is medical help that is needed, probably a lesson in social responsibility might be more appropriate. A driving ban should help in this regard but sadly it will only involve some more points deducted.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

First of all.... Cardi.. You know absolutely nothing about my CV.. how dare you say I was OBVIOUSLY not an officer.. I was employed at HMP Coldingley at Bisley in Surrey.. Thank you very much... Being in the prison service does not mean that you need to have a diploma in court proceedings, no more than running a newsagent (as I also did) do you need qualifications in newspapers or confectionary... and what the Hell does the Daily Mail have to do with my question??!!

If you cannot answer a perfectly reasonable question without insulting people then please do me the favour of NOT READING MY POSTS!!!

Re: caught drink driving..
 

Thank you to all others who answered my question... the incident happened at 20.30... he was in a car that had been lent to him by a friend...

As far as I am aware, his friend drove him home and did not leave the car with him.

I will mention to him that it may be wise to ask for permission to pay in instalments.

I have mentioned AA to him on many occasions, but without success.. but I am sure we all have friends we love very much but despair of their actions.. but he is a grown man and not my child.. thank goodness.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

He had a couple of drinks up to 8:30 PM and he's being accused of being an alcoholic????

BLIMEY!!!! I better find my local AA along with several hundred thousand other people ;)

Re: caught drink driving..
 

The levels quoted were a bit more than a couple of drinks!!, in any case Doris says she has tried to get him to go to AA many times, which does seem to indicate he has a serious problem.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

What the **** has that got to do with procedures in Spain? Or are you seriously trying to suggest they might be the same as the UK?

Re: caught drink driving..
 

and further to Cardi's comment... I happen to disagree with you regarding prison not being nice... from my view from working in one, it is not entirely unpleasant...
Three good meals a day, and a choice of menu at all three meals.. at lunch and evening meal there are mountains of loaves of bread and each inmate may take as much bread as they like, and the reason for this??? the yeast in the bread is good for making home made beer and wine if you can get hold of the other ingredients, which is also very easy... and ALL the prison staff know exactly that this is going on.. they just turn a blind eye to it as they do to a lot of other happenings...

Most prisoners have their own mobile phones as well as the use of the prison phone. pretty much "what they want, they get"

There are plenty of classes available to them of all sorts... but most spend their time mooching about and watching tv or playing games etc.. most prisons have very fancy gyms too.. top of the range machinery...

I could go on and on.. but I would just bore you...

Re: caught drink driving..
 

My view re drink driving is don't as far to easy to go over the limit. Many people forget that Spain has a lower limit than the UK. Also most beers these days are much stronger than 20 years ago when in the UK many thought they could get away with 2 pints? I appreciate the friend this was evening but many forget also what they had the night before when they jump in the car. This lists the limits

Drink Driving Limits in Europe

Re: caught drink driving..
 

People look aghast when they hear someone called an alcoholic, similar to the surprise when hearing that someone is gay. I’m always reminded of the actual statistics, the one in fourteen.

If you walk down a normal street, every fourteenth person you come across will be an alcoholic. Among the same sample will be a gay person.

Perhaps it’s easier on our conscience to deny their existence, but they’re there all right, and they look just like the rest of us.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

You wont kill someone driving a car if you are gay, you very well could if a drinker, how silly comparing the two.
Personally I have no sympathy for anyone being caught drink driving. If you wish to drive then dont drink:nod:

Re: caught drink driving..
 

What a bizarre thread.

Don't see the gay connection at all :confused:

Re: caught drink driving..
 

It's just a rainbow herring thrown in to distract us all..

Re: caught drink driving..
 

:lol:

Re: caught drink driving..
 

What about a gay alcoholic???

Sorry:o:o

Re: caught drink driving..
 

That's step 1 :p

Re: caught drink driving..
 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LVge5WTn1C...inbowfish2.jpg


Personally I never try to guess the limits. If I'm driving, I just don't drink booze at all. If I know I'm going to drink, I plan ahead to get home some other way.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

The enabling thing is tricky too, but I think you have to be clear to your friends who drink and drive.

This guy needs to understand the gravity of what he's doing.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

When I drink, I don’t drive, I like to keep it simple.

However a friend has got himself a fancy new breathaliser kit from Mediamarkt, I think the make is Zaphir. I met him for coffee one morning and saw him use the kit prior to getting in his car. His reading was 0.36, the limit for Spain being 0.25 according to the documentation supplied with the kit. He admitted to having drunk five or six pints of lager the night before. It took two hours before his reading was down to zero.

That’s the danger with drinking even quite long before driving, it’s still possible to be well over the top the following day.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

Yes, in the UK when they do their Christmas crack down on drink drivers, they now also set up some checks the next morning, and several people have been caught going to work.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

Yes - always an unknown - the leftovers from last night's sesh.

Incidentally, as your friend nearly blew his entire week's recommended limit in one night, he's probably one of the 14%.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

The purpose of showing statistics is quite simply to dispel the myths surrounding our most prevalent misconceptions. Alcoholics are not identified by falling in the gutter and gay people don’t prance around in pink hotpants.

To get back to walking down the normal street, two out of three people you come across will be divorced. One in ten will suffer from depression.

We are an intelligent forum and I’m sure we understand.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

That is very true. I got stopped in December around 9:30 in the morning when I was working.

Also they show no favoritism, I am a court officer and wear official clothing which includes a bullet proof vest, they still checked me, as they should.

Didnt breathalyze me but the officer had his face in mine smelling for alcohol, Ive got no doubt they would have had they suspected that I had been drinking. I hadn't had a drink the night before so was not worried.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

I still don't follow your comparison at all.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

It would appear that I am not as intelligent as I thought???????

I aint got a clue what you are on about, gays and statistics?? :confused:

Re: caught drink driving..
 

I'm often amused by peoples definition of 'alcoholic' by most measures I am.
I don't however consider myself to be one and in my job I see enough of them.

2yrs ago I had a hip replacement operation, filled in all the forms for the anaesthetist and everything went fine. The day after the operation the doctor came in and asked me if I'd like something for the withdrawal symptoms.

I honestly had no idea what he was talking about until he explained that the amount of units I had put down on my original form puts me into the 'dependency category'

Re: caught drink driving..
 

To register with our local doctor in the UK we had to fill in various forms including one on alcohol usage. There were about 10 questions and you rated yourself from 0 - 5 (5 being bad) so top score could be 50. We both scored about 10.

We both got a phone call from the practice alco advisor as they consider anything over 6 to be a problem. Frankly if you go to holy communion twice a week you would be pushing that.

I think such extreme precaution is counter productive. People won't take it seriously if it's squeezed to those limits.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

The problem is that most alcoholic or alchohol dependent people don't believe they have a problem, and as you say I don't consider myself one, a very common statement by alchohol dependent people.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

I wonder what the accepted definition of alcoholism is?

You have used 2 terms, alcoholic and alcohol dependant - are they the same?

Re: caught drink driving..
 

Yes they are, some people like to use the 'alcohol dependent' instead of the 'alcoholic term because they feel it has less social stigma. An alcoholic will never pass a breathalyser test, in fact they are more of a danger if their alcohol level drops to zero. Many of them appear quite normal with an alcohol level that would kill most people, levels in the blood of 300 - 400 mg.l are not unusual in the more severe cases.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

You seem to be implying then that an alcoholic is one who is like a friend of mine in Spain who got himself into the position where he couldn't work as he had to have beer first thing in the morning just to get himself up. Twice I had to drive him to the doctor in Estepona for 9 am. - picking up cans of lager at the petrol station on the way - to start him on rehab meds. He ended up a severely depressed alcoholic so we put him on a plane to Scotland where he would feel at home.

I suspect that many, including Alcoholics Anonymous, have a far less severe definition of what an alcoholic is - including possibly me and, it would appear, stuboy.

Re: caught drink driving..
 

I think one sign is drinking in secret, hiding booze, thats what my uncle did.
He died because of drink, he stopped eating. He was a very proud man immaculate in appearance, smartly dressed all the time and never appeared to be drunk. I couldn't believe it when I found out.

I could happily have a drink every night but I don't, its not good for you. Weekends is when I have a drink or when I am on holiday.

I do have serious concerns about this when i finish work and move to Spain, its so easy to have a beer at lunch time, then another, then wine. Before you know it you are drinking all day every day. I saw this when I was on holiday in Torrevieja, there is lot of drunk expats there who I would say appeared like they had a drink problem.

I have mentioned this to my wife who I am sure will be keeping an eye on me, as usual!! lol

Re: caught drink driving..
 

You are talking nonsense. I don't drink everyday nor do I drink either in my flat at the pub or at my house. I don't drink in the daytime ever. I don't drink in secret.

If I decide to go downstairs in the evening it will be anytime between 6 and 8pm and then I will have a drink with my customers. 6 or 7 pints usually each time. And if I'm in the mood a couple of Grey Goose Vodkas and Soda. Last orders in the pub are 12.30 so I don't consider that particularly excessive.

Trust me, I have been breathalysed more times than you've had hot dinners. When you live (mainly) in a pub as I do and the old bill see you pulling out of the car park at all times you are an easy target.

I have never failed a breathalyser yet.