Moral Luck - The Drunk Drivers.

[Nalaar]

Driving a car with a broken light

Fair, I overlooked that - All three men have a broken break light.

[Streetwalker]

What further offence did Man 2 commit over Man 1?

Driving a car with a broken light

[johnofgwent]

This is part of a wider idea of "Moral Luck" that I think has very powerful repercussions in both a personal morality, and societal-wide Crime and Punishment applications.

The scenario is so -

Three Men meet for a few pints at their local, afterwards they all feel fit enough to drive despite all being legally over the limit.
Each man drives their car home by a different road.

Man 1 has an uneventful drive home, gets into bed and goes on with his life.
Man 2 is stopped by a police car as he has a broken brake light, given the smell of alcohol he is breathalysed, found to be over the limit, and arrested
Man 3 fails to see a pedestrian walking along the road, he hits and kills them. Police arrive and given the smell of alcohol he is breathalysed, found to be over the limit, and arrested.

Given the above scenario -

Is the only thing that distinguishable between these 3 men their luck?
Did these men all commit the same crime?
How do you differentiate their punishment?

No, this won't work as a model.


The Home office decree that a certain number is over the limit


I can prove this is utter bollox.


If you want a discussion of breaking statute law and being caught or not, so be it. But speaking as one of the original volunteer calibrators of the lion labs alcometer, I know this is a piss poor choice of example.

[Nalaar]

two of them have committed further offences by degree and are punished accordingly .

What further offence did Man 2 commit over Man 1?

[Streetwalker]

Anyone driving when they shouldnt be knows the consequences if things go wrong .

I would say its good luck if they get away with it rather than bad luck if they don't . They have all committed the same crime initially but  two of them have committed further offences by degree and are punished accordingly .

[Nalaar]

This is part of a wider idea of "Moral Luck" that I think has very powerful repercussions in both a personal morality, and societal-wide Crime and Punishment applications.

The scenario is so -

Three Men meet for a few pints at their local, afterwards they all feel fit enough to drive despite all being legally over the limit.
Each man drives their car home by a different road.

Man 1 has an uneventful drive home, gets into bed and goes on with his life.
Man 2 is stopped by a police car as he has a broken brake light, given the smell of alcohol he is breathalysed, found to be over the limit, and arrested
Man 3 fails to see a pedestrian walking along the road, he hits and kills them. Police arrive and given the smell of alcohol he is breathalysed, found to be over the limit, and arrested.

Given the above scenario -

Is the only thing that distinguishable between these 3 men their luck?
Did these men all commit the same crime?
How do you differentiate their punishment?