[Phildo]

Originally Posted by Sezzy

Agreed...you don't have the physical proof that he's committed a drink driving offence, except what you've overheard, which is technically heresay.

Oh, he was very drunk. I could smell it on his breath if I was anywhere near him. The police commented the same, and had the breathalizer out straight away. There's no secret hidden conspiracy on this one.

Actually, I regret not getting his phone number. He really isn't a bad, evil person, but he did make an incredibly stupid decision. I would happily pass the photos on to him, which he can then show friends and family as a lesson about drink driving. I have no doubt that this person is extremely repentant and regretful by now.

In regard to the face and licence plates, it's a public place. If you're going to drive a car ****ed and crashed, it's probably best to not choose one of the main roads in Perth if you want to keep it quiet. His face is in one photo, and that's pretty blurred as it is.

For anyone that isn't familiar with Perth, Northbridge is the main social area, similar to Kings Cross in Sydney. So, at 5am, that area is full of drunk people wandering around aimlessly. This driver was only a few hundred metres away from being in that area. Considering he was incapable of missing a stationary tree and bollard, I doubt that he would have been able to identify and miss a wandering drunk pedestrian.

This guy probably takes the award for most polite ****y driver ever. Once he believed that the RAC were coming he just hung around patiently. That also lines him for the award for stupidest drink driver ever - he could have walked away and gotten away with it. With the time it took for police to get there, he wasn't lacking in opportunity to walk off.

On another note, I am aware that a lot of asian people have a strong reaction to alcohol. There was even a conversation in the taxi a couple of months ago with some asian guys who were comparing notes on the "asian flush" and how it affects each of them.

This isn't about being racist, it's a biological fact. Anyone that is serving/supplying alcohol to an asian person would want to have some awareness of this and keep an eye on their asian friends/girlfriends.

A quick look on Google reveals:

From: http://madminerva.blog-city.com/asia...ntolerance.htm
“Roughly half of all people of east-Asian descent (including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) lack an enzyme necessary for the efficient metabolism of alcohol. For readers who like biology stuff, this enzyme is known as the low-Km aldehyde dehydrogenase isoenzyme, or in short, ADH.

The absence of this enzyme is the culprit for your flushed cheeks and feelings of sickness in response to alcohol use. Without this enzyme, the byproduct of alcohol (the toxic aldehyde dehydrogenase) cannot be removed from the bloodstream nearly as well as it is in people who do have the enzyme. The aldehyde accumulates in a person's system as a result because it cannot be broken down as quickly.

A person with this condition is likely to experience toxic effects such as flushing, rapid heartbeat, headache, nausea, drowsiness, swelling and skin itchiness. In addition, it is easier to get drunk upon consumption of even just a few alcoholic beverages.

While this condition can be seen as an inconvenience, epidemiological studies have shown that because of these adverse side effects, people of Asian descent tend to consume less alcohol, and therefore rates of alcohol use and incidence of alcoholism are lower than those of other ethnic groups.”

From: http://www.wisegeek.com/do-people-of...ng-alcohol.htm
“Some people of Asian descent have noticed that they have difficulty handling alcohol, expressed by excessive facial redness, sweating, increased body temperature, and a higher heart rate after consuming a small amount of alcohol. This syndrome is called “Asian flush” and can be deeply embarrassing, especially if it arrives unexpectedly. This causes many people to think that people of Asian descent cannot process alcohol, although this is not strictly true. Asian flush can affect non-Asians as well, but the genetic mutation that causes it is much more common among people of Asian descent.

When most people consume alcohol, it is processed by two liver enzymes. The first, alcohol dehydrogenase, converts the alcohol to acetaldehyde. The second, aldehyde dehydrogenase, converts the acetaldehyde into acetic acid, which can then be broken down into carbon dioxide and water, which can be harmlessly expressed from the body. With excessive consumption, this process can take some time, as most college students have discovered, but the liver will eventually metabolize the alcohol.

Many people of Asian descent, however, have a genetic mutation that limits the formation of aldehyde dehydrogenase, resulting in a build up of acetaldehyde, which can be toxic in large quantities. The symptoms of Asian flush are indicators that the toxin has built up enough to cause the body to try to get rid of it through sweat or vomiting in extreme cases. If Asian flush sets in, alcohol consumption should be discontinued for the evening to allow the body to metabolize the alcohol already in one's system.

Asian flush, like all alcohol tolerance issues, is to some extent genetic. It can also be affected by factors such as body type or whether or not food has been consumed with the meal. Asian flush does not act in the same way for all people it affects. Some, for example, can drink several beers before suffering ill effects, while others can have only a small amount of alcohol before feeling ill. It is a good idea for all people to understand the limits of their body and not to exceed them.

There is evidence to suggest that some measures can be taken to decrease the effects of Asian flush. Consumption of sugars has been linked with an increased ability to metabolize alcohol. Victims of Asian flush might want to consider ordering drinks with a high fructose content or eating sweets shortly before drinking. It is also a good idea to avoid spicy foods and warm ambient temperatures, which will lead to flushing even without alcohol.”

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol..._ethnic_groups
An estimated one out of three people in East Asian countries have an alcohol flush reaction, colloquially known as "Asian Glow", a condition where the body cannot break down ingested alcohol completely because it lacks the genetically coded enzyme that performs this function in the bodies of drinkers with "European" tolerance levels. Flushing, or blushing, is associated with the erythema (reddening caused by dilation of capillaries) of the face, neck, and shoulder, after consumption of alcohol.

And, for a full article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_flush_reaction
(Wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too much to copy and paste here).