'I can't stand on one leg officer'

MargaretR · 30-07-2007, 22:27

'I can't stand on one leg officer'
BBC NEWS | UK | Drug-drivers targeted in campaign
That is a fact for me - flat feet - an orthopedic surgeon explained it to me years ago during an examinatuon of my poor misshapen tootsies.
I had once ventured into yoga classes but only went once - got stared at as though I was drunk. When everybody got into the stork position , I just fell over - I'm just a woman who is most comfortable standing on her own two feet.

The tests they are going to use on suspected drugged drivers just seem rather 'antique' -like the tests for drunks before they invented breathalisers.

jambutty · 31-07-2007, 12:41

After watching this item on the news yesterday I think it was, I decided to test myself.

I can close my eyes and touch my nose with my index finger OK. Passed.
If I try to stand on one leg I wobble even with eyes open. I practically fall over with eyes shut. Failed.
If I try to walk a straight line heel to toe I cannot. I can’t even do three steps let alone a few yards. Failed again.

Hopefully the cops will take into account a person’s age otherwise we golden oldies are going to fill up the courts.

I wonder how they would go on with a driver who only has one leg or none at all?

I appreciate that a drugged driver (including someone on prescription drugs that warn people not to drive whilst on them) is just as much of a menace as a drunk driver but surely the ‘clever’ boffins can come up with some test that will not rely on physical movement.

shakermaker · 31-07-2007, 13:33

They were saying on the news that it would be very difficult to come up with a 'breathaliser for druggies' as the manufacturers of illegal drugs in this day & age are forever making drugs that cannot be traced.
Also, many softer drugs tend stay in the system for a long time whereas harder drugs can run out of the system quickly so punishment could easily be misplaced.