Roger Sofarover -
If you read this thread you will see that people that have commented on fatigue have done so in response to anothers comments, and fatigue is as serious a problem as Alcohol and it is a problem that manifests itself routinely.
I appreciate that. My problem is when the fatigue argument is raised as a kind of twisted 'well-he-might-have-been-fatigued-too!' defence. They are not related issues.
I really do have a problem with the following comment:
The consequences of a drink driver being the cause of an accident are potentially as serious as the pilot who may drink and fly.
You cannot really believe that to be true. A road traffic accident can certainly cause many fatalities, but please don't tell me that it is as serious as the potential loss of life if the captain of a passenger aircraft with 300 passengers has a hang-over while he struggles to handle an engine failure at V1.
Professionals carry responsibilities. So I find it somewhat bizarre that pilots are so keen to compare their job to driving a car when it comes to drinking!