Been round to Mum & Dad this evening.
On the way home I was stopped by a very large police road block.
Seems they are doing the drink driving thing early this year, apparently because Christmas parties have started already.
No complaints from me.
There must have been a dozen officers and the two that came up to my car were really very nice.
Older officer (F) had a huge sniff in the car, younger officer (M) asked the questions; "have you had any thing to drink tonight sir?" "Nothing alcoholic, 3 mugs of tea, half a dozen hobnobs".
A very pleasant "thank you for your time and wish you a safe journey" and it was all over in less time than it has taken you to read this.
They said that if they are very visible it will put people off "risking it". I hope so.
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Good idea. A regular occurrence in the part of Spain where I stay, and all times of the day.
I often volunteer to drive when we visit an out of town restaurant, then drop friends off at their accommodation around midnight. Last time I got stopped they’d all been drinking, I’d been on fizzy wAter all night, 2 police cars blocking the back road, quick sniff, on your way matey.
Still remember wishing them a Buenas Dias rather than a buenas noche. Silly ass. It was turned midnight.
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Police roadblocks in Spain seems routine. Last time when stopped (they often congregate around the exit from the motorway) I was told they were on the lookout for RHD UK registered cars left in Spain by expats with no current MOT or Insurance.
But I am sure the whiff of alcohol would have alerted them - we were just two rather knacked travellers having driven down from Santander.
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Driving in France years ago we noticed all the lay-bys were full of trucks. After a few miles we came to the police road block where, sure enough, they were checking for drink drivers. It was obvious that, probably using CB radio in those days, the truckers had warned one another.
We found it quite amusing at the time but the implications were serious if that indicated a high number of drinking truckers.
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“Half a dozen Hob Nobs”
Tut tut Zippy! Good job there’s no law about driving with a sugar rush!
;-)
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....Some years ago, driving the motorhome South from the Lofoten Islands, we passed through Mo-i_Rana.
There was a long stationary queue of cars heading North, with a few police and vehicles at the head. The police standing next to the first couple of cars were holding buckets to the open drivers window, and, it being Saturday morning, at first I genuinely thought they were collecting for "police charities".
As we passed, it became obvious that the buckets were to dispose of the "blow tubes" of the breathalyzer (or maybe they were using disposables). Anyway, each and every one of the many Northbound drivers was being tested.
We were slowed to drive past, but left well alone. Just as good really; I have little doubt I would easily have passed any roadside test in the UK, but Norway's laws are considerably more strict, (the legal blood/alcohol limit being a quarter of that for the UK). Having had a drink or two the night before, I was sweating a bit on any residue from the "morning after" effect.
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>> “Half a dozen Hob Nobs”
>> Tut tut Zippy! Good job there’s no law about driving with a sugar rush!
>> ;-)
>>
Here's a tale about Hobnobs - the nutty variety:
20 odd years ago, a (40ish) colleague was out for the night and had too much to drink.
On getting home he had the munchies and had a couple of Hobnobs and went to bed.
After a short while he was feeling unwell so went to the toilet and hurled.
A nut within the Hobnob was sharp and as it came up it was like a razor blade, ripping much of his inners, spilling stomach acid out.
Colleague spent 6 months in hospital recovering.
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As a story, well, that kind of takes the biscuit eh?
Yeah, I know, I’ll erm…
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That story is just nuts Im finding it hard to digestive.
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I don't doubt the story but how did he know it was a nut from the hobnob? I know when I've been drunk enough to be sick I've not bothered sorting through the output to find a cause!!!
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Last time I threw up was when we moved to this area. Local brew called "Denbigh Mental" I had two or three pints and was as drubk as a lord - it proved too much for my stomach later in the evening. The brewer (who has two Reliant Scimitars) is still in business but has closed the little bar where he sold this evil stuff (sadly) (I think)
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>> - it proved too much for my stomach later in the evening.
>> - (who has two Reliant Scimitars)
In a 7 degrees of separation type moment I very recently got hit very suddenly by a bout of (what we suspect) very severe Norovirus, which eventually left me unconscious in a pile of vomit on the bathroom floor.
During the 24 hour recovery where I was almost unable to stand or walk, I binge watched "The Crown" and Princess Annes Scimitar GTE made an appearance. A car I have always coveted and admired, one I have never been able to find in good enough nick* and I dont have the garage to keep it in (it would have to be an SE6B).
(*most of them now have cracked or crazed bodies)
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>>
>> In a 7 degrees of separation type moment I very recently got hit very suddenly
>> by a bout of (what we suspect) very severe Norovirus, which eventually left me unconscious
>> in a pile of vomit on the bathroom floor.
>>
...it would really have been the packet of peanuts between the ninth and tenth pint which caused the problem.
>> During the 24 hour recovery where I was almost unable to stand or walk, I
>> binge watched "The Crown" and Princess Annes Scimitar GTE made an appearance. A car I
>> have always coveted and admired, one I have never been able to find in good
>> enough nick* and I dont have the garage to keep it in (it would have
>> to be an SE6B).
>>
>> (*most of them now have cracked or crazed bodies)
>>
>>
...hadn't seen a Scimitar for years until I was passed by one in the village high street yesterday! It was approaching hundreds of yards away as I crossed the road, and with only a frontal view and a quick glance, I'd put it down as a Capri until it overtook me :-(. Red, in reasonable but not outstanding nick.
Last edited by: tyrednemotional on Sun 27 Nov 22 at 09:32
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>> a Capri until it overtook me :-(. Red, in reasonable but not outstanding nick.
Think that one is up for sale £2.5k. Has a rusty chasis, and cracked wings and bonnet.
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>>Capri & Scimitar
Not as illustrious but I spied two mid 1990s Toyota Corollas on the motorway last week, one the rare fastback version. I was amused as to how small they were because at the time I used to borrow Dad's fastback and we considered it a big car.
Both seemed to be in very good condition.
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>> A nut within the Hobnob was sharp and as it came up it was like a razor blade, ripping much of his inners, spilling stomach acid out.
Trying not to think what the damage would be like had it come out the other end.
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>> We found it quite amusing at the time but the implications were serious if that
>> indicated a high number of drinking truckers.
More likely it indicated the lay-bys were full of truckers who didn't want to exceed their taco driving hours, as it does here. Cobham Services is awash with trucks 24x7. Because there is a weigh station at J9, along with a VOSA base. The VOSA drivers dont travel far from home, patrolling J9 - J10. (where Waze persists in calling them policemen or speed traps)
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>> (where Waze persists in calling
>> them policemen or speed traps)
Which is because Waze users, bless ‘em, press “report police” whenever they see hi-vis on a vehicle.
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>bless ‘em,
I am aware that a cartoon network type app attracts an appropriate type of user...................
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 27 Nov 22 at 09:06
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A few years ago in the Brisbane (AUS)area we came across a police road block checking for drink driving. It was a familiar site to savvy locals.
Our friend had seen the earlier not too obvious warning - a police car and bike were parked up.
Anyone doing a last minute U turn was soon scooped up by the car or the bike.
My only experience of a booze check was outside of Cape Town one night. A polite few words then on my way.
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In the early seventies I was stopped in Yeovil by a policeman who watched me come out of a pub and drive the wrong way down a one way street. He said that if he was traffic police he would have given me a ticket but he wasn't so just to turn around an go on my way.
Different times.
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Drink Driving Road Block - legacylad
