History Main / DrunkDriver

** Player straight in "18th and Potomac" when Mrs. Landingham, the President's [[OldRetainer secretary]], is struck by a drunk driver on her way home. Mrs. Landingham is killed in the accident and the First Lady mentions that the drunk driver will be charged with vehicular manslaughter for it.

* In the United States, most states have adopted a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 (i.e. 0.08 grams of alcohol for every 100 milliliters of blood) as the legal definition of intoxication. While alcohol can affect different people differently (based on factors such as age, gender, weight, etc.), and some people do have much higher tolerances than others, it is the law in these states that anyone who drives with a BAC above 0.08 is guilty of drunk driving, with no exceptions. Note that some states may also impose penalties for driving with a BAC higher than zero but lower than 0.08, or for showing signs of impairment while doing so.[[note]]Some states will also tack on extra charges to those who are ''really'' drunk, for example New York charges anyone testing above 0.18 with aggravated DUI. One state calls this "Extreme DUI", which makes it sound like your car was thrown through a flaming table. Most states also have "zero tolerance" laws for drivers under 21 where ''any'' amount of alcohol in your blood (the cutoff is ''0.02'') will result in a suspended license. It is also a crime in itself to refuse any sort of alcohol test.[[/note]]

* In the United States, most states have adopted a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 (i.e. 0.08 grams of alcohol for every 100 milliliters of blood) as the legal definition of intoxication. While alcohol can affect different people differently (based on factors such as age, gender, weight, etc.), and some people do have much higher tolerances than others, it is the law in these states that anyone who drives with a BAC above 0.08 is guilty of drunk driving, with no exceptions. Note that some states may also impose penalties for driving with a BAC higher than zero but lower than 0.08, or for showing signs of impairment while doing so.

* Hitchcock's ''Film/{{Notorious}}'' includes a scene where Alicia is drunkenly swerving on the road while Devlin calmly sits as a passenger. Even leads to a cop driving alongside on a motorcycle, apparently not afraid that she might swerve into him. As they're being pulled over, she tells Devlin it's her second offense.

** Taken UpToEleven in the episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS23E10ChristmasSnow Christmas Snow]]" where the ''entire town'' indulges in drunk driving revelry over the Christmas holiday season, leading to numerous crashes. In response, the town bans alcohol sales until January... so the townspeople resort to getting high off of Tegridy Farms' marijuana instead, [[CrossesTheLineTwice leading to even more crashes]].

* In "Den fineste Chevy'n" ("The Prettiest Chevy") by Halva Priset ft. Maria Mena, a mechanic is planning to meet his grlfriend's well-off family. He's nervous because he has to [[MockMillionaire pass himself off as a finance guy]], so he goes for some LiquidCourage before the drive... and ends up driving the titular Chevy into a lake.

* A variation occurs in ''Film/IronMan2'', in which Tony Stark, dying of palladium poisoning, is at a party, smashed out of his gourd, and wearing his PoweredArmor, which of course contains a number of dangerous weapons, to show how close to hitting bottom he is.

-->'''Narrator:''' ''(after the car crash)'' Let that be a lesson to you, Larry. The cabbies of this town are ''notorious drunks.'' Never enter a cab carrying anything that's ''obviously alcohol!''

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS9E14BloodyMary Bloody Mary]]", Randy Marsh gets arrested for drunk driving and is forced to attend Alcoholics Anonymous.

* [[TooDumbToLive Win a free trip to the afterlife if you drive drunk and crash]]! [[AccidentalMurder You can even bring some friends with you]]!

* In the United States, most states have adopted a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 (i.e. 0.08 grams of alcohol for every 100 milliliters of blood) as the legal definition of intoxication. While alcohol can affect different people differently (based on factors such as age, gender, weight, etc.), and some people do have much higher tolerances than others, it is the law in these states that anyone who drives with a BAC above 0.08 is guilty of drunk driving, with no exceptions. Note that some states may also impose penalties for driving with a BAC higher than zero but lower than 0.08.

* In the United States, most states have adopted a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 (i.e. 0.08 grams of alcohol for every 100 milliliters of blood) as the legal limit for intoxication. Although it is true that alcohol can affect different people differently (based on factors such as age, gender, weight, etc.), and some people do have much higher tolerances than others, it is the law that anyone who drives with a BAC above 0.08 is automatically considered guilty of drunk driving, without any exceptions. Note that some states still impose penalties for driving with a BAC lower than 0.08 (though these penalties are less than driving with a BAC above 0.08).

Prior to TheEighties, this trope was often a source for comedy, even in a by-the-book CopShow like ''Series/AdamTwelve'' when the cops pull them over. (The stock joke is someone suffering from AlcoholInducedIdiocy trying to say "SorryOciffer...") However, a greater awareness of the deadly menace of motorists driving under the influence have now made it a source of AnAesop for a VerySpecialEpisode and placed jokes about it solidly in DudeNotFunny territory. As a result, impaired drivers gonna hit someone and have a car accident, or be chased down by heroes and/or the police to prevent it. If it's a near miss, it's a ScareEmStraight.

* Far more ScareEmStraight themed commercials than there is room to list.

* ''Series/TheAndyGriffithShow'' - when Otis buys a car, Andy and Barney worry that he'll inevitably be driving drunk (as he's drunk most of the time)...they catch him passed out drunk and when he awakens, they play like he'd died in a crash and can't hear him. It turns out he'd never driven the car and in fact had just sold it, to everyone's relief.

Prior to TheEighties, this trope was often a source for comedy, even in a by-the-book CopShow like ''Series/AdamTwelve'' when the cops pull them over. (The stock joke is someone suffering from AlcoholInducedIdiocy trying to say "SorryOciffer...") However, a greater awareness of the deadly menace of motorists driving under the influence have now made it a source of AnAesop for a VerySpecialEpisode, and placed jokes about it solidly in DudeNotFunny territory. As a result, impaired drivers gonna hit someone and have a car accident, or be chased down by heroes and/or the police to prevent it. If it's a near miss, it's a ScareEmStraight.

In television, tends to be a shortcut for declaring a character TheAlcoholic, or that TheAlcoholic is heading OffTheWagon. Also happens frequently after a WildTeenParty as AnAesop.

* It is quite a miracle that "Werner", a comic figure by German artist Brösel, is still alive, given that he loves a) booze b) his bike c) all of the above. In fact, one cartoon took a TakeThat at this strip, killing him in a alcohol-induced crash.

* In the ''Fanfic/AftermathOfTheGames'' universe, the human version of Twilight Sparkle's parents were killed by one of these three years prior to the first story. The woman, Berry Punch, survived the accident without a scratch, but was arrested and is currently serving time in prison for Driving While Impaired and for involuntary vechular manslaughter. As for Sci-Twi, her brother and sister-in-law took custody of her and all three of them still grieve for them.

* In ''Fanfic/PersonaEG'', [[spoiler:the reason Sonata's sisters died was because Adagio was driving drunk on Halloween night. She got herself, Aria, and the driver of another car killed, and permanently damaged Sonata's throat.]]

* In ''Film/NorthByNorthwest'', bad guys force-feed Roger Thornhill a quart of whiskey and put him behind the wheel of a car, sending him on his way. He somehow manages to avoid killing himself or anyone else, but gets thrown in jail. His mother and lawyer bail him out, taking these events to be his usual carousing hijinks over his frustrated explanation.

[''manages to drive forward, but drives through two fences before crashing'']\\

* Notably defied in ''{{Film/The Three Musketeers|1993}}'' (it is a Disney film afterall). Athos is initially driving the carriage they're fleeing in, but when he is handed a bottle of '24 Cabernet, he makes a point to hand the reigns over to D'Artagnan before he starts drinking. He's drinking while they're being chased at shot at, but that's a different matter.

* According to the narrator of Honoré Beaugrand's 19th century short story ''La Chasse-galerie'', the Devil is happy to lend lonely ''voyageurs'' a flying canoe in which to travel from their logging camp to their hometown New Year's Eve party on the other side of Quebec, provided they don't mention God or crash into any church steeples while paddling it. This proves trickier than expected when you're drinking and flying.
* The events of ''Literature/GirlWaitsWithGun'' are set off by a drunk driver veering into a horse drawn carriage and the owners' efforts to secure compensation.

* ''Series/TheHoganFamily'': Midway through the 1987-1988 season (the first one without Valerie Harper as the mother), David hosts a house party while his father Mike and aunt Sandy are gone; his best friend and one of the guests, Rich, gets very drunk and wants to take a stunning co-ed out for a ride. David -- having just lost his mother months earlier, purportedly in an accident caused by a drunk driver -- puts his foot down and gets into a huge fight with Rich. David, motivated at an earlier admonation to "do whatever you have to do" to keep someone from driving drunk, locks Rich in the closet overnight. When David lets a somewhat sobered-up Rich out the next morning, Rich remembers vividly what happened ... and is an ungrateful jerk! (He yells at David for not letting him consumate that long, sought-after relationship with the supermodel of his senior class. David then reminds him that his mother died in a drunk driving accident, and he couldn't stand the thought of now losing his best friend (not to mention the prettiest girl in high school). Rich eventually comes to his senses and realizes that nothing -- not a hot night of sex in bed awaiting a hotel -- was worth driving drunk and possibly killing himself or anyone else.
* ''Series/FullHouse'': In an episode that focused more on Kimmie getting drunk at a college sorority party and an embarrassed D.J. (and equally embarrassed sorority officers) dealing with her drunken behavior, though Kimmie believes that D.J. was just jealous because in her mind she was the life of the party. A tearful D.J. tells Kimmie that her mother had died in an accident caused by a drunk driver (the death happening sometime during the summer of 1987, two months before the first episode was set). Kimmie comes to her senses and realizes what could become of her and agrees to straighten up.

* There's a non-{{Anvilicious}} example in ''Series/{{Misfits}}'', where [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl party girl]] Alisha was a constant drunk driver prior to the show, and continued to drive intoxicated even after getting caught and having her license taken away. She hasn't killed anyone or caused any accidents, but she ''did'' eventually get caught by the police (again) and, despite performing oral sex on the breathalyser in an attempt to charm the cop (it didn't work - leading her to surmise that he was "gay"), she was sentenced to community service. Even after this, she's shown driving yet again (not drunk this time though) on at least one occasion, but she doesn't get caught.

* Played with in ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' in a sketch about [=MI6=] planning the assassination of Princess Diana on the order of Prince Philip (a popular theory, especially in certain tabloids) by getting the driver "slightly tipsy", as it's a well-known fact that getting somebody a little bit drunk results in an 100% death rate.
* ''Series/MadMen'' had shown this several times, mostly to illustrate the much more casual attitude to drunk driving in TheSixties.
* After a drinking a few drinks at a party in ''Series/SavedByTheBell'', Zack and his friends drove drunk and ended up in an accident. Oddly enough, the sober one, Screech, offered to drive but Lisa refused to let him touch the car because he might get into an accident.

* The deaths of the main characters' parents because of a Drunk Driver is the event that starts of ''Series/PartyOfFive's'' plot.

* Clare Kincaid on ''Series/LawAndOrder'' was killed when her stationary car was hit by a drunk driver. The next time Jack got the chance to prosecute a drunk driving case, he conspired to get the culprit the death penalty - by hiding the fact that the driver was drunk. (If the driver was in control of himself and his vehicle the case potentially becomes first degree murder.) His conscience - and Jamie's - won't quite let him go through with it.

* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': Rory's attempt to avert this tied into her renewed romance arc with Dean. Emily had attempted to set her up with the grandson of a friend, so she wound up bar hopping with his group for the night. When she learned one of the drunkest ones ''was'' the designated driver (but she's assured he's the best drunk driver in the world), she tells them to leave without her. She has no money for a cab and winds up calling Dean to pick her up. We never hear from the date or his friends again.

* Many, ''many'' of the idiots featured on ''Series/WorldsDumbest'' are drivers who get pulled over while drunk. Most of them then try to act like they're not drunk, and fail miserably.

* After getting in trouble for public drunkeness, Wrestling/ScottHall was given a gimmick that amounted to being a sloppy drunk in Wrestling/{{WCW}}, which did include at least one crashed car.

* While not ''driving'' per se, Wrestling/RingOfHonor still feels the need to put up disclaimers mentioning they discourage the misuse of farm equipment before segments in which The Briscoes operate riding mowers, tractors and bulldozers in between chugging Natty Light.

* ''HEBEREKE!: March! Red Army Girls Brigade'', an HGame, manages to play this [[PlayedForLaughs for laughs]], by making the drunk person look like (but not actually) a little girl, and the vehicle being driven a [[TankGoodness tank]]. Yes, a ''tank''. In a military setting, of course. AmusingInjuries being in effect for non-tactical parts helps.

** "Dog Gone People," a 1960 short that starred Elmer Fudd (in a rare solo outing) in this satire on corporate culture, political correctness (of the day) and how treating others -- in this case, a dog -- with kid gloves in an effort to not offend can have unintended consequences. The trope kicks in near the end of the short: During a weekend where Elmer was dog-sitting his boss' mutt, Rupert, as a favor, doggie accidentally gets ahold of some bay rum and gets very drunk. Elmer decides the dog needs to go for a ride to sober up, but somehow the dog gains control of the car and begins speeding through town, causing several accidents. Eventually, a motorcycle officer pulls over Rupert, and both the dog and Elmer are charged with driving while intoxicated. (Elmer, by the way, loses out on a promised promotion ... to Rupert!)

** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E11WildBartsCantBeBroken Wild Barts Can't Be Broken]]", Homer and his buddies go drinking, and drive into the school, thus destroying part of it. This leads to a curfew being put on the children and teens of Springfield, because [[PoliceAreUseless the police assume it was]] the work of young vandals - despite the car [[FollowTheChaos leaving a clear trail from the school to Homer's front lawn]].
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E18DaysOfWineAndDhoses Days of Wine and D'Ohses]]", Homer and Marge get very drunk, and Homer attempts to drive them home, but gets into an accident. Not wanting to get arrested, he switches seats with Marge, causing her to go to jail instead. Bart and Lisa, however are wise enough to know that Homer was probably the one behind the wheel (the steering wheel had been adjusted to accommodate for his gut), [[WhatTheHellHero and confront him about it.]]
** Parodied when Lisa [[DrunkOnMilk drinks milk]] at Moe's in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS20E8TheBurnsAndTheBees The Burns and the Bees]]". Moe was reluctant to give her the keys to her bike-lock; he wasn't even sure why he had them in the first place.

* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' ties this in with a recurring routine with Miriam Pataki and her alcoholism. Her daughter's classmates are surprised and worried when she apparently got her driver's license back, and it's casually mentioned in the beginning of another episode that she was starting her community service that morning.

** "Dethrace" started with Skwisgaar and Toki drunkenly joyriding and causing a high speed police chase, the coverage preempting Murderface's bass solo.