" DUI !

YAY !

We'll get to see his name on THE LIST !

WOOT !

DUIs are SO spectacular ! Every headline should have one. "

" Go Ronny!! "

" Great job Napa Sheriff's Deparment! We appreciate you getting these thugs off our streets! "

" Sounds like this should be on COPS!!! GREAT job K9 officer Ronny, wish I could have seen that! And do the K9 officers here have bullet proof vests on? At PetSmart they were fundraising for dog vests. "

" reason-ator...Do I detect a subtle hint of sarcasm? "

" Seems like every headline does lately. "

" Give that K-9 Ronny a raise! "

" Seems like it already is in every headline "

" I think that if he wanted to drink and drive, he should had stayed in fairfield!!!! "

" I wish there was an explanation given when articles disappear . . . "

" oldnapan52, calling it "subtle" was a bit of subtle sarcasm, too, wasn't it ? But I can't be too subtle, because too often my sarcasm is lost around here..... "

" napabicycler:
Articles archive after 24 hours, because new articles are printed. Yesterday's DUI article, however, is not showing up in our box of recent DUI-related articles, so I need to go back and see what I did wrong.
--Dan "

" calling it "subtle" was a bit of subtle sarcasm, too, wasn't it ? But I can't be too subtle, because too often my sarcasm is lost around here.....

Yes, indeed…a little subtlety on my part…very astute reason-ator. I doubt your past sarcasm on this subject gets lost. It’s my belief that sometime in the distant future DUI’s will encompass everything from intoxication to cell phone usage to listening to music. Anything that distracts a driver from the road could be construed as driving while under the influence of something. The DMV will just keep adding new items to the code to incorporate all distractions. The list will keep growing and DUI will certainly be in most every headline. "

" old_napan52

you say "It’s my belief that sometime in the distant future DUI’s will encompass everything from intoxication to cell phone usage to listening to music. Anything that distracts a driver from the road could be construed as driving while under the influence of something. The DMV will just keep adding new items to the code to incorporate all distractions"

So are you defending the 19 year old under the influence of what-ever he was on or anyone else for that matter?

I was hit head-on June 20th at 3:25 in the afternoon on Hwy 121 by a 51 year old lady who claimed to have "worked a double shift" who possibly fell asleep at the wheel and possibly DWI from all the prescription drugs the paramedics pulled out of her purse while we were both laying in the ambulance. This women has affected the rest of my life becasue of whatever "distracted" her to cause her to cross over a double yellow and alomost kill me. Get them all off the streets. If you can't be a 100% RESPONSIBLE driver don't get behind the wheel and puts innocent lives at risk. "

" Napamom – I am not sure how you got that I was defending anyone under the influence of anything. The topic appears to be about the frequency of DUI’s appearing in headlines and my post relates to reason-ators past queries on the dangers of driving under the influence of cell phones. I was making a commentary on a possible DMV solution and its impact down the road on everyone who chooses to drive without taking 100 percent responsibility. The bottom line is that anytime you get into a car, it’s a crap shoot…everyone who drives is taking a risk. The laws are meant to minimize that risk and I support the laws as I have often stated in these forums. However, I do understand your frustration. The only way I can see that would solve the accident problem would be to get everyone off the streets, no exceptions. "

" old_napan52

Which is why I was asking if you were defending the drivers actions. The way you worded your commentary makes it appear that you are complaining about the DMV rewriting the DWI/DUI laws to include anything and everything.

After my experience last month - there couldn't be enough new laws about what the term "under the influence" encompasses. Drugs, alcohol, sleep deprivation. I support the cell phone/texting laws too. It's a selfish act to get behind the wheel and put others at risk. The lady that hit me was more concerned with the stash of cash hidden under her dash then the person she almost killed. Not to mention another driver and his daughter she also sent spining, who thankfully were not harmed.

If this had happened at 3 in the afternoon on Napa streets he probably would have hit a pedestrian or another driver - I hope they throw the book at him. "

" Well, after re-reading my comment, it does look like I was complaining a little…DMV code could be taken as a reactionary stance and if you want to really define “under the influence”, I suppose you would have to include “mental wandering” or “any medical condition” or “youth” or “inexperience” as dangerous risks to the road. Anyone with diabetes should not be allowed to drive for instance, as a case where one woman (diabetic) who passed out at the wheel and killed another would indicate. They DA wanted to charge her with murder because of her known condition. Malice aforethought. By the way, when you sign for your driver’s license, you are accepting the terms set forth by the state, which says if you drive under the influence and kill another, you may charged with murder. I will say what I have said many times in the past. Do not drink and drive…since a few people cannot take responsibility for their actions when they get behind the wheel, the state has deemed it necessary to be responsible for everyone. The growing list to which I referred in my earlier comment was the long DUI list posted each month by the Register. Sorry for the confusion. "

" old_napan52, I don't see anything that makes me think you were condoning anyone's negative actions, unless a post disappeared.

ANapaMom, I am thankful you were lucky enough to have survived. I am puzzled why drivers are more and more likely to have trouble staying in their lanes, while the cars get better and better. It's not just prescription or non-prescription drugs. It's not alcohol. I ride a motorcycle 90 miles a day, most of it on multi-lane roads. I am continually seeing cars crossing lane dividing lines, and if I can get alongside it's nearly ALWAYS someone either talking on a phone, or 'talking to themselves' with a Bluetooth in their ear.

The fact of the matter is, modern cars require so little attention to drive that I think people feel they are capable of safely driving with distractions.

They're wrong. I'd rather encounter a drunk than a sober-celler, because just about everytime I have a close call it's with a person on a cellphone.

But I just saw a feature about drivers texting while driving, and a driver admitted she does it. And then she laughed. A driver is 1.3 times more likely to get in an accident while drunk, but TWENTY-THREE times more likely to get in an accident while texting, and the guilty parties are LAUGHING about that.

Meanwhile, the NVR is working on shaming drivers 1.3 times more likely to get in an accident and it's laughingly cool to engage in a risky activity that makes you 23 times more likely to get in an accident.

What's wrong with the NVR ?

23 vs. 1.3, and the 1.3 is their target peeve ? How misguided is that ? "

" As always, it starts with the parents. When I first got my license, before seatbelt laws (I think) and before everyone had a cell phone, my mom told me if she ever caught me driving without a seatbelt or not using my turn signal, she would take the car away from me. Period. Guess what? I ALWAYS drove with my seatbelt on (before everyone else HAD to) and I always used my turn signals. It became an instant habit because I didn’t want to lose the car.

Same thing COULD happen today, if parents set rules and enforce them. Tell your 16 year old if you catch them texting, using the cell phone, etc., while driving, you take the car away. Period. There are no “but mom, I was only . . .” And then you enforce it. If it becomes a habit early, it will stick with them for a lifetime. It has me. "