Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by LeoTinnitus 2243 days ago
Take a German, but make his road from the bar to his house 20-25 KM away. Multiply it by 100,000 people in the same scenario. Now eliminate their public transport.

How many Germans do you think will take the risk of a DUI to drive home as opposed to walking? Granted not everybody is driving over the limit here, but a large majority of them are teetering at it. I mean I've done it, but I knew I had to drive so I held off and waited for some of the affects to subside. Still, I gotta get home, and a cab is not an option often times.

It's a cultural thing that we'd gladly get rid of, if we could afford the alternative of a robust public transport system. But we don't, so it's a risk people often take.
1 comments
distances 2242 days ago
Why wouldn't cab be an option? If DUIs were taken with the seriousness they deserve I bet there'd also be a thriving cab market.

Frankly walking the 20 miles should be your last option, not driving it.

link
LeoTinnitus 2241 days ago
Believe it or not, there are more cities under 10-20k in the US than there are large metropolitan areas. In the area I'm in, you can only get a cab in the city. Good luck getting one 15-25KM outside of it.

Also being America, home of what feels like the home of capitalism which a lot of Europeans make it out to be, since the law only prosecutes you if you get caught, people take the risk. Because there is that cultural precedent, cab's don't bother competing cause nobody pays for it anyway.

Also for reference, you're only getting a cab in an area that is within city limits no further than like 5-10km outside of it. Any further, you're on your own.

You'd think that there'd be a "thriving" cab market, but cabs literally only exist in major cities. They do not exist in the places 20-30km out. Why would I go to those bars? Well...weddings, events, parties, where people live, etc. Also cabs charge out the ass so risking a DUI is oftentimes worth it. If you take a cab, you're out like $30-$50 bucks sometimes in those rural areas. If you get a DUI, in my state, it's like $150 for a first time offense. So in essence people drive normally, avoid main highways or take backroads where cops don't camp out.

link