Last night on Wednesday drove home 11.30 pm after a loooooong day at work (a colleague had “improved” my instruction manual how to setup a Linux cluster with distributed test software) and got into 2 DUI roadblocks while driving from Jonghe to NeiHu, even saw a third one. One was after crossing the river descending into NeiHu, when there is no escape due to the nature of the road, stood about 3 minutes into the traffic queue until the cop could sniff for alcohol (no papers requested). Wife said Wednesday is one of the days they like to check.
Needless to say I was only drunk from too many Linux commands and do not like the drink and drive stuff anyway. But I know how easy if would be on the right occasion to give into the “encouragement” of the Taiwan family here to “just drive home, no problem, don’t think toooo much”. Almost sounds like “don’t drink toooo much”.
Anyways, pointing out the obvious here, there can be a lot of road blocks at night and for various reasons it is not good to be under the influence.
Is there a site that posts roadblocks? Maybe Forumosa can set up some alerts or someone can do up a smartphone app.
Not that I would ever consider drinking and driving, but to avoid the traffic jams and anal inspections that come with being stopped suddenly without cause and quizzed about what I may or may not be be doing with my own personal life at that particular moment which is really my own personal business and should not be subject to impromptu random review by anyone in any situation ever in a democratic free society or to human beings in general anywhere.
The moment they are on any www or app, they are gone. it takes 5 minutes to set them up and less to scramble.
There are like 100 well known regular spots where they post and majority of potential offenders know this.
Effective? doubtful. 7 years ago they used their nose as promille meter and still do.
Besides, foreigners driving a car are in most cases waved away on DUI controls - as of language issue. Except if really obvious being a drunk nut cake taking the wheel.
They did not want to see papers and explained to wife (even I understood that) they would only look for alcohol smell. They even apologized for the inconvenience.
Roadblocks are a good thing. People the world over do not fully understand the power of the machine they have bought, or the ease with which it can kill, unutterably altering the lives of everyone concerned in seconds. Equally, most people think they are not under any sort of influence when they drink, yet they are. Even of they only perform a stupid whiff test it is still something. In the UK they used to make you walk a straight line or touch your nose. Hardly scientific but it was something at least.
In the UK I read some thing a while back how having a nasty cold is practically the same as being drunk when taking the wheel. Not only are you drowsy from the infection, you are also whacked out on pain killing drugs designed to fight it. You are not in your right mind. Then once you start sneezing as well… danger. But I digress.
The roadblock might be a pain in the ass, and as ceevee says usually you will get waved right on through (a rare advantage of being a big nose) but they are putting doubt in the minds of people that they can get away with 3 or 4 beers and then drive slowly home.
It’s deterrence and it works. They do take repeat offenders off the road.
Taipei is the only place they seem to do this a lot. Taichung, not been stopped by one yet.
Roadblocks in Keelung city involve lots of cops with machine guns, they usually seem to have them on Friday and Saturday evenings.
I am not sure if they are for DUY, they might be looking for criminals/illegal immigrants (maybe because we are a port city), but I am still not sure who they are looking for.
I’ve never been stopped, and I have never seen anyone else get stopped either, they just look in the windows as we drive past slowly.
3am one summer night at Wanli. Stopped by cops at a roadblock. Had just gotten one of those “gangster perms” . One cop aimed his M16 right at my head. They were looking into the cars and watching out for guys with bad perms I would guess?
I used to freak out at first when encountering roadblocks. Being from the South and black, it just brought back all sorts of lovely memories. The first time I went through one here, I tried not to make any sudden movements, kept both hands on the wheel and tried not to piss my pants. When I let down the window, the cops just said “Thank you, bye bye.” and let me drive off. I kept looking in the rearview expecting to be followed. Did my head in.
I go through them 3 times a week coming home from djing and they always say the same thing.
I sat in a coffee shop one night for three hours late one Friday night next to a roadblock in Taipei City. They did not actually stop anyone except to ask if they had been drinking and it appeared to be mostly for effect.
