Cycling after a few pints or cans, is it illegal?

loyatemu

Keyzer wrote: »

Lad I used to work with, when he found out he got a new job, decided to go out and celebrate. Got hammered, fell off his bike on the way home with no helmet and smashed his head off the roadside kerb. Died a few days later... left behind a wife and young daughter.

Regardless of whether its legal or not, cycling while drunk is a really stupid thing to do.

there have been plenty of cases of people seriously injuring themselves while hammered drunk, falling down stairs, tripping over curbs etc. Getting hammered is inherently risky, bike or not.

Duckjob

loyatemu wrote: »

there have been plenty of cases of people seriously injuring themselves while hammered drunk, falling down stairs, tripping over curbs etc. Getting hammered is inherently risky, bike or not.

Yeah but your common sense should tell you that its not a good idea not to try to engage in something that requires high levels of coordination and balance not to damage yourself at a time when your coordination and balance is severely compromised by alcohol.

tomasrojo

loyatemu wrote: »

there have been plenty of cases of people seriously injuring themselves while hammered drunk, falling down stairs, tripping over curbs etc. Getting hammered is inherently risky, bike or not.

I think, as you might expect, falling down stairs is the most common cause of serious injury when intoxicated.

seamus

John Hutton wrote: »

That's interesting, I wonder what an impairment test is? Hardly a breathalyzer?

Chips Lovell wrote: »

From the same act:
These appear to be the latest regulations.

As far as I can tell impairment testing only applies to those in charge of mechanically propelled vehicles and not people on bikes or horse-drawn carts, etc.

A Garda can request that a cyclist take a breathalyser or perform an impairment test, but there is no statutory basis for it, and no penalty for refusal.

However, what that does mean is that you can be charged with an offence based on good old Garda opinion.

If the Garda decides that you are intoxicated "to such an extent as to be incapable of having proper control" and s/he is willing to stand in court and say so, then you're screwed.

On balance, if you were stopped you are probably better off asking for an impairment test. At least then you have a chance that the Garda might say, "Ah you're grand, go on".

Anecdotally though, Gardai tend to not to be too bothered with this stuff. They'll tell you to get off and walk, or scoop the bike and cyclist up into the car and bring them home before giving them a warnnig the next day.

Thinkingaboutit

There used to be a pub opposite Harold's X hospice. Saw a wobby lad get on a bike, who proceeded to wobble on his bike in front of a taxi, who made a timely stop as it happens to often in town. If the taxi hadn't been more alert, the lad would've gone direct to Mt Jerome. Even if a Garda doesn't take much heed, a bicycle should be no more than an aid to walking, something to lean on, if drink is taken.

Thelonious Monk

I did go through a phase where I'd wake up any my bike is just f*cked in the front garden and I wouldn't remember coming home. Yikes. Now I'll cycle home from the local after 4 or 5 pints, but it's only about a 3 min cycle and no cars on the road in a residential area. I hate when I go for one after work, leave the bike outside and next thing I know I'm 9 pints deep.
What I had been doing in this situation until covid was just bringing the bike on the dart and cycling the short distance from the station to home.

John Hutton

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I did go through a phase where I'd wake up any my bike is just f*cked in the front garden and I wouldn't remember coming home. Yikes. Now I'll cycle home from the local after 4 or 5 pints, but it's only about a 3 min cycle and no cars on the road in a residential area. I hate when I go for one after work, leave the bike outside and next thing I know I'm 9 pints deep.
What I had been doing in this situation until covid was just bringing the bike on the dart and cycling the short distance from the station to home.

Fold up bike is your man, got very smashed a few times and got a taxi, bike in the boot.

The Noble Nudge

Only time Ive missed a pint is cycling by The Blue Light recently...

LollipopJimmy

Did it a while back, got on one side, fell off the other and lost my shoe, decided a taxi was best. Couldn't find the poxy shoe though

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

Did it a while back, got on one side, fell off the other and lost my shoe, decided a taxi was best. Couldn't find the poxy shoe though

May not be illegal nbut you're endangering yourself and other road users.

If you had an accident a certain cohort of people would love to use this to tar is all.

LollipopJimmy

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

May not be illegal nbut you're endangering yourself and other road users.

If you had an accident a certain cohort of people would love to use this to tar is all.

As I said in the post I decided a taxi was best

iwillhtfu

I on occasion will stop for a pint and meal in my local on a Fri evening and cycle home(country boreen job), I can't say I've ever given it a second thought nor would I be a big drinker or consider cycling while drunk. I do recall one evening I stopped and had a pint of Guinness outside on the bench beside my bike, obviously I was the person it belonged to. Anyway a gentleman who we shall say wasn't a guard semi jokingly scolded me with his own pint in hand about how I could be done by the gardaí for cycling under the influence.

I was waiting for someone and some food so time ticked by and to my surprise as I was leaving later on who should drive out of the car park. I'm not saying either of us were right or wrong but thought it quite ironic.

It was a lesson though as I never considered it was an offence despite it being perfect sense not be cycling after a few pints.