This actually happened to an Englishman, in France, who was totally drunk.



A French policeman stops the Englishman's car and asks if he has been drinking.



With great difficulty, the Englishman admits that he has been drinking all day, that his daughter got married that morning, and that he drank champagne and a few bottles of wine at the reception, and many single malt scotches there-after.



Quite upset, the policeman proceeds to breath test the Englishman and verifies that he is indeed completely hammered.



He asks the Englishman if he knows why, under French law, he is going to be arrested.



The Englishman answers with a bit of humor, "No sir, I do not! But while we're asking questions, do you realize that this is a British car and my wife is driving on the other side?

Thanks for the chuckle.

Lived and worked in London for about a year and a half during college years. Was back in that part of the world with the wife a few years ago and rented a car. She wanted me to drive. When she walked out and stood by the right front door, I opened the door for her and said, "Oh, you changed your mind?" We both laughed, then I opened the passenger door for her.

Good one. Ya know, in most of Europe if you get caught driving drunk you are in a huge mess. They take it very seriously.

Turnabout.
An American tourist is in London and needs to pee very badly. He ducks into an alley and is starting to unzip when a Bobby stops him, "eh, you can't do that ere!"
The American replies, hey, I gotta go really bad, can you tell me where there's a facility I can use?
The cop says, follow me and leads the tourist to a small wrought iron gate in a large brick wall and opens it. The American looks in and it's a beautiful garden, flowers, trees, fountains, the works. "Just go in here sir, and you may relieve yourself anywhere you like."
Wow, says the tourist, are all English bathroom facilities like this?

No sir, says the Bobby. This is the French Embassy.

I was luck enough to have to take a breathalyzer test in France a couple of years ago. It was in the Alsace which is wine country and I guess they do random DUI checkpoints in that area. It freaked me out because we had just got done doing a wine tasting. I passed. Hadn't drunk enough that I should worry, but man did I get nervous.

quote:

Originally posted by greco:
Good one. Ya know, in most of Europe if you get caught driving drunk you are in a huge mess. They take it very seriously.

Indeed, especially in Germany. Or at least a few years ago. No indication that they loosened up.

The husband of my wife's friend got hammered one night and had a minor accident. Police arrived, he was found to be above the legal limit, which as I recall was .04. Lost his license for a year, had to go back to driver's school (cost about 3000 bucks) his car insurance tripled. If he is ever caught again, mucho jail time and loses his license forever.

Had a British exchange instructor who had that happen to him in Colorado, except he was speeding and his wife got the lecture. He said, "Excuse me officer. I'm over here--with the steering wheel."

They don't screw around with it in Costa Rica, either. You drive drunk and you go to jail. No two ways about it.

The nice thing about it (from the perspective of a tourist w/ a private driver) is that because their penalties are so stiff, they don't bother with open container laws. It's a sort of eerie feeling to be riding down the road enjoying an ice cold cerveza, but as long as the driver doesn't partake, nothing illegal about it.

-Rob