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I drank drove (sort of) but I didn't know what else to do. There's a (not v good) diagram.

272 replies

Uriahsnose · 21/08/2024 13:02

I drove to my local pub like I do a couple of times a week. If I am having alcohol, I leave the car there and collect it the following day.

The other night, my neighbour/friend came in, was sober and offered to drive me home in my car-he only lives around the corner. As this is safer for me than walking home I agreed.

Some houses on my street have front gardens, some have drives. I have a front garden as does one of my next door neighbours. Terraced, narrow, village one way street-parking can be a bit awkward but the houses that don't have a drive all have a designated parking space.

So my friend goes to park my car and it transpires that he doesn't know how to reverse park. He tried to drive into my parking space but the NDN with a drive's car was sticking out of their drive, and the other neighbour (in front of where my car would go) is parked outside her house. So it ended up with my car sticking out at an angle, blocking the road. I told my friend 'you'll need to reverse park, you can't leave it blocking the road'. He tried but couldn't do it-kept saying 'I can't because I can't see!' And 'will that do' (no, it wouldn't!) so in the end I told him to get out and I parked it myself.

I was so nervous-even though I wasn't drunk (I'd had three of those mini bottles of wine) and I knew I couldn't hurt anybody, but It's still illegal isn't it?

AIBU to think that if you can't reverse park, you shouldn't be driving a tonne of metal?

(Just realised I haven't accurately depicted the gardens in my diagram but the basic set up/situation is the same)! Grin

I drank drove (sort of) but I didn't know what else to do. There's a (not v good) diagram.
OP posts:
WonderingWanda · 21/08/2024 13:04

It sounds incredibly dangerous, luckily you didn't damage the car or anyone else. I can't even put my mascara on neatly after a couple of glasses of wine...I wouldn't attempt to reverse a car.

Uriahsnose · 21/08/2024 13:05

I was absolutely fine, and I knew I was. But I do have a high tolerance level with alcohol. That wasn't so much the issue, I just knew I shouldn't have been doing it. I will add that there's not many other places I could have put the car, It's all designated spaces around here.

OP posts:
Lougle · 21/08/2024 13:05

You would have been better to tell him to find anywhere that he could park legally and safely. There is no 'technically' about it. You were in charge of a vehicle.

saveforthat · 21/08/2024 13:07

WonderingWanda · 21/08/2024 13:04

It sounds incredibly dangerous, luckily you didn't damage the car or anyone else. I can't even put my mascara on neatly after a couple of glasses of wine...I wouldn't attempt to reverse a car.

Really? after 3 mini bottles I could absolutely park my own car.

AmandaHoldensLips · 21/08/2024 13:08

Three mini bottles of wine = a bottle of wine. (They're 1/3 bottles)
Thankfully you didn't accidentally part on the neighbour's cat.

WhatThenEh · 21/08/2024 13:09

This reply has been deleted

This post has been withdrawn at the request of the user.

SoupDragon · 21/08/2024 13:10

If you think it's OK to be in control of a car when you are over the limit you shouldn't be in charge of several tonnes of metal.

Not being able to reverse park isn't essential to driving safely. Not being over the alcohol limit is.

Putting · 21/08/2024 13:11

The more driving threads I read on MN, the more scared I get about exactly how many idiots are on the roads.

You should never be in the driving seat of a car when you’re over the limit. No excuses. If he couldn’t park there he needed to find somewhere he could.

And I’d also suggest he needs a couple of driving lessons to teach him how to reverse park. It’s a pretty basic skill for a driver,

Ivehearditbothways · 21/08/2024 13:11

A few years ago, I’m sure I could have parallel parked after a bottle of wine. I wouldn’t obviously! But I could have. Nowadays, I absolutely could not after a bottle of wine!

The worst that could have happened was dinging the other car, and you’d have sorted that out the next day without anyone bringing up the alcohol. Not great, but not terrible.

Maybe don’t take the risk again of someone else driving you car (without insurance?).

sunnshine · 21/08/2024 13:12

Uriahsnose · 21/08/2024 13:05

I was absolutely fine, and I knew I was. But I do have a high tolerance level with alcohol. That wasn't so much the issue, I just knew I shouldn't have been doing it. I will add that there's not many other places I could have put the car, It's all designated spaces around here.

You thought you were fine because you had been drinking and people who have been drinking are bad at judging whether they are in fact able to drive.

You did not know that you were fine.

Buzzer3555 · 21/08/2024 13:12

Don't worry. No he was done

Comedycook · 21/08/2024 13:12

Couldn't he have just parked it on the road? Then you moved it in the morning

Jk987 · 21/08/2024 13:15

Seriously... what you did is fine and you had little choice. They'll be many preachers on here who will tell you off like a child...

JoanOgden · 21/08/2024 13:15

I know someone who lost his licence in a similar situation - he'd had a couple of drinks and then someone from his block of flats asked him to move his car for some reason. He did it but unfortunately a police car was passing...

CheeseWisely · 21/08/2024 13:17

Missing the point of the thread entirely but 3 mini-bottles is 3/4 of a full bottle, not a whole bottle. They're usually 187ml each.

Anyway, notwithstanding how much it was, it was too much to drive so OP you shouldn't have got in the driving seat at all, and your mate needs to learn how to drive properly.

Was he even insured to drive you home in your car?

toomanydicksonthedancefloor1 · 21/08/2024 13:17

Honestly, I wouldn't give this a second thought.

sunsetsandboardwalks · 21/08/2024 13:18

AIBU to think that if you can't reverse park, you shouldn't be driving a tonne of metal?

If you think it's acceptable to drive after a bottle of wine, you shouldn't be driving a tonne of metal either!

Jk987 · 21/08/2024 13:19

SoupDragon · 21/08/2024 13:10

If you think it's OK to be in control of a car when you are over the limit you shouldn't be in charge of several tonnes of metal.

Not being able to reverse park isn't essential to driving safely. Not being over the alcohol limit is.

Edited

Yes it is, what idiot can't even reverse park? The OP wasn't driving it down the street, she moved it 2 feet to avoid blocking a drive.

The blocked drive would have caused more upset on Mumsnet than this probably!

itsgettingweird · 21/08/2024 13:19

How many units had you had over how many hours?

It's not really how much you've drink but how much was in your system when you drove as to if you were or weren't over the limit.

But I wouldn't recommend testing that by driving!

Sounds like you won't do it again though which is good.

Rory17384949 · 21/08/2024 13:19

I think you knew you were ok to do it and obviously you were fine, it's not like you drove all the way home.
Not much you can do now anyway, the police would likely just give you a slap on the wrist if you confessed.
Just treat it as a lesson learned not to accept a lift from this person again, they sound more dangerous sober than you were after 3 wines 😂

Ivehearditbothways · 21/08/2024 13:20

JoanOgden · 21/08/2024 13:15

I know someone who lost his licence in a similar situation - he'd had a couple of drinks and then someone from his block of flats asked him to move his car for some reason. He did it but unfortunately a police car was passing...

A police car was passing and pulled over a guy who just moved his car out and then put it back? No, they didn’t.

Legoninjago1 · 21/08/2024 13:22

Funnily enough I also know someone who lost their license in exactly this way - in a street in London, years ago. Wouldn't recommend it! Not sure what you want from this thread OP.

YesThatsATurdOnTheRug · 21/08/2024 13:23

I was expecting you to need your tin hat and then some on this thread OP but the responses are pretty varied!!

I do think it's easy to think 'oh I'm fine' when you've had a drink - that's kind of the whole point of not driving even a bit over the limit, because you over estimate your capabilities, you're 'pot valiant'.

Reallybadidea · 21/08/2024 13:23

Why did he need to park by your house? Why couldn't you just get out?

ETA: I see now that it was your car. But even so, as he lives nearby why couldn't he just drive it home and you go and pick it up like you would have done if it was at the pub?

sunsetsandboardwalks · 21/08/2024 13:23

Ivehearditbothways · 21/08/2024 13:20

A police car was passing and pulled over a guy who just moved his car out and then put it back? No, they didn’t.

My dad once got pulled over driving to work (hospital) at 4am - he'd only just pulled out of our close when they stopped him and breathalysed him - they said it was because he was hunched over the wheel and looked nervous Grin

He's tee total but they didn't appreciate him telling them that he'd not drank in a decade - he was told off for being sarcastic, lol.