Drinking and driving absolutely do not mix. I enjoy drinking and pride myself on my driving. That’s two reasons why I don’t ever drink and drive.

In the UK the driving age is 17 and the drinking age is 18, but many learn to drive later. I learned to drive only in my twenties, but “learned” – if that’s the word – to drink in my teens. So I got used to socialising without a car. I’m not unusual. I think Americans do it the other way round. So possibly they use their cars for socialising, then some maybe drink too when they’re old enough.

We have perhaps less of a car culture because public transport is better, at least in the cities. The downside – more of a yobbish drinking “culture” and plenty of alcohol-related problems, probably more than in the US. Brits abroad – our lager louts – are a disgrace.

I think that’s pretty much in line with penalties in the US, at least in the states I’m familiar with, at least for the first offense. On top of that people generally have to take some sort of course that they also have to pay for to get their license reinstated. The laws tightened up quite a bit in the 80s and 90s.

Actually, come to think of it when I was in school someone did drunkenly fall from a dorm window and die on our campus. This was a pretty impressive feat, as the windows in the dorms were not made to open easily to prevent just that. But the chances of being hit by someone falling from a window seem very low to me.

(By the way, this doesn’t make the Swiss better drivers, sadly.)

Drinking, on the other hand, is considered part of living well. I live in a wine-growing region (Lake Geneva), and it’s normal that wine is part of an evening’s pleasure. My 15-year-old daughter is regularly served in restaurants when she is with me – and she has never been asked for an ID. Likewise, my son and I could enjoy a brandy after dinner when he was only 17, and nobody gave it a second thought.

The key is teaching kids to respect alcohol, and to know something about what they are drinking. My kids are hardly wine snobs at their age, but they already know a litle about wine, can appreciate a good wine and also tell if they are being served crap. They love its taste and its diversity and I think they understand that it’s only good in moderation. I honestly can’t imagine either one of them even wanting to indulge in a binge-drinking activity: what’s the point? If you actually like beer or wine, then where’s the enjoyment in drinking till you throw up?

Footnote: drunk driving is taken very seriously here. First offenders will usually face a fine of around 500-800 bucks and probably also a suspended license for 30-90 days. Second time, your license is gone for a year.

Helveticus (a displaced American)

Bigotted ignorance on display.

Perhaps the question should be expanded, not that it will do any good at all, as you are deliberately playing the fool. Have you seen any cases, significant or otherwise, of drunks falling from high windows? It has happened, of course, but it is not high on the list of things I expect I might die of, ranking just a bit below being savaged by a freshwater shark, and a bit above apoplexy at the site of a mixed-race child brazenly promenaded down main street.

I can’t believe so many people seriously responded to him. It’s like arguing with a muppet.

I meant a significant number of cases where drunks fell from buildings. By a significant number I mean 1 or more a week.

You are an odd combination of ignorance, eloquence and opinion. I do not know to what extent to take you seriously. What has kept you ignorant of the nation wide drinking age and yet knowledgeable of race relations? Do you normally condescend to activities you have chosen not to participate in? Do you consider your opinions malleable?