logoalt Hacker News

The first drink-driving conviction may have happened in London

20 pointsby beardywtoday at 7:29 AM33 commentsview on HN

Comments

rwmjtoday at 3:38 PM

> it would not be until 1904 that driving licences and vehicle registration numbers were introduced

A fun fact is that for many years, to get a driving license you just had to apply at the Post Office. There was no test at all. My grandmother obtained her license this way in the 1930s, and drove on the same license right through til she became too unwell to drive in the 1990s, and never took a test.

show 5 replies
ortusduxtoday at 4:01 PM

Reminds me of the old 1980's news clip of people reacting to California's DUI laws - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcQIoh3FQQ

show 2 replies
walthamstowtoday at 3:59 PM

> Police, he observed, had developed ways of stopping a runaway horse, but stopping a runaway motor car was another matter entirely.

I'm curious about the ways of stopping a horse

show 2 replies
dabeeeenstertoday at 3:29 PM

"The following day, he appeared at Marlborough Street Police Court, where he admitted that he had consumed “two or three glasses of beer”."

19th Century version of a few small beers.

show 1 reply
raverbashingtoday at 4:35 PM

Title is confusing, it should be "The first conviction ever recorded may have happened in London"

flippyheadtoday at 3:55 PM

Is drink driving where you are drinking something while driving? That seems fine. Drinking alcohol while driving is maybe bad though.

show 2 replies
kwarcodetoday at 6:25 PM

[dead]