Maxim's statement
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=83918
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=83918
Stavinski Kills One, Injures three in Drunk driving accident
- Thread starter Justlooking
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2006
It should be interesting to see what the punishment is for Staviski. Oda was banned for months and he was just on a scooter and didn't hurt anyone. Staviski in my opinion should receive a harsher punishment.
It's a shame that people don't take drunk driving or driving while impaired very seriously.
It's a shame that people don't take drunk driving or driving while impaired very seriously.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
Oda didn't hurt anyone so don't stop him. Is that what you mean?
By all means, let's let Oda off the hook. The Japanese police prevented him to continue driving under the influence. The Bulgarian police apparently did nothing to prevent Staviski to continue driving.
As to punishments in Japan and Bulgaria, I believe they have their own local regulations for that.
Joe
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- Joined
- Feb 28, 2006
The situation was totally different,
- Oda was on a moped, not in a hummer, he would have been a danger only to himself (hummer are danger to others)
- Oda had slept a few hours ...
- Oda was arrested at a checkpoint, so he could have been driving well.
- Why did the initials reports said Oda was having a sauna with friends, and the ones after he had been dining with his professor and a JSF member?
- Joined
- May 6, 2006
Staviski drove recklessly even when he was sober, from reading Albena's quote from last year.
I was one of Oda's defenders, mostly because it seemed like a borderline case where he might not have known he was driving impaired. In addition--although mopeds can cause accidents, he would have put himself at highest risk if he had driven unsafely, and there's no indication that he was speeding or otherwise violating traffic laws. Which is not to say he wasn't violating the law or that he shouldn't have been punished, but what he did is not enough to make me irate.
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Link to Tonichelle's comment:
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17160
IMO, there is a huge moral difference between a young kid who takes affirmative steps to eliminate (or at least minimize) the danger he might pose to other, both in choice of vehicle and in steps to get the alcohol out of his system, even if he fails at doing so as opposed to a grown man who has repeatedly been warned about reckless driving, and still makes choices (again dealing with vehicle and alcohol amount) that endanger others.
Oda -- by trying to "sleep it off" and only driving a moped effectively acknowledged that other people have rights and lives that need to be respected and protected, even if his attempts to honor that principal did not succeed. Staviski, OTOH, if all reports are true and they may not be all true , made it clear by ignoring warnings, drinking, and driving a Hummer that he didn't give a rat's a** about respecting/protecting the rights/lives of others.
I was so shocked and saddened to hear this.
What a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the victims and their families; to the fiance of the man who died.
My heart also goes out to Maxim and Albena because I think I would rather be dead than to through what they are going through now. And being famous probably makes it a thousand times worse.
What a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the victims and their families; to the fiance of the man who died.
My heart also goes out to Maxim and Albena because I think I would rather be dead than to through what they are going through now. And being famous probably makes it a thousand times worse.
For me, these tragedies - and the ones that do not involve drugs of any sort (and sadly, in which I have lost loved ones) - remind me how utterly ridiculous our lives are. By that I mean, how utterly ridiculous it is that most of us, most of the time think it is not only normal, but acceptable - desirable even - that we live in a world in which private invidividual transportation in deadly weapons is, well like I said, normal, acceptable and even desirarable. If that weren't crazy enough - many, many of us actually think it is ok - no a right even - to drive the vehicle we want, say a hummer, and too bad for anyone else who doesn't so choose. Sure, I think both Oda and Maxim and thousands if not millions of other people have the obligation to be responsible, and as such, ARE responsible for what happens when they drive. But that is only half of the equation in my opinion. I would wish to see as much energy spent on condemnation of irresponsible individual behavior as I have read in the last 24 hours as on social/collective behaivor (anyone want to discuss how we can invent a truly usable, accessible, socially and environmentally just system of PUBLIC transport -- or is it just easier to pretend that all would be well in the world if it just weren't for a few irresponsible types????).
That being said, I will not comment on whether Oda's and Maxim's (and the latter first name only because i do not wish to mispell his last name) are the same...I just can't go there except to say that the outcomes are so different, and the enormity of Maxim's case (in terms of consequences) so overwhelming that I think the only comparison is the timing (imo - and not to dismiss anyone else's opinion about drinking and driving).
Finally, I just really feel the need to say something as a fan about skaters whom I adore. Certainly, the death of a man, and servere injuries of others is THE tragedy. But, this tragedy has impacted many of us who would never of heard of this particular accident (cuz they happen all the time cuz cars are deadly weapons...), and perhaps it is too soon to talk about our loss - and I hope it is not read as insensitive to those that are grieving -- but I have also been thinking over the last 24 hours about our loss - as fans of skating. We didn't even yet know for sure if Albena and Maxim were or were not going to skate competively this year - it looked like maybe not, but i was one of those holding out with great hope. But, even if they didn't compete, I could rest assured I'd see them in some show or something....Now, that hope is dashed (maybe not permanently, but it will always carry this burden now). I hate that their greatness is now forever linked to this tragedy; I hate that their relationship will suffer this difficult experience, I hate that their lives will now be indelibly marked by these events. I feel deeply for them. Do my deepest and most sincere feelings extend to those who died, were injured, and their loved ones - yes, but I also feel for maxim and the people directly in his life that are now also effected (and I can say this as a person who has a deep loathing of hummers, of reckless driving, and that selfish sense of entitlement that so often is demonstrated in the world today).
That being said, I will not comment on whether Oda's and Maxim's (and the latter first name only because i do not wish to mispell his last name) are the same...I just can't go there except to say that the outcomes are so different, and the enormity of Maxim's case (in terms of consequences) so overwhelming that I think the only comparison is the timing (imo - and not to dismiss anyone else's opinion about drinking and driving).
Finally, I just really feel the need to say something as a fan about skaters whom I adore. Certainly, the death of a man, and servere injuries of others is THE tragedy. But, this tragedy has impacted many of us who would never of heard of this particular accident (cuz they happen all the time cuz cars are deadly weapons...), and perhaps it is too soon to talk about our loss - and I hope it is not read as insensitive to those that are grieving -- but I have also been thinking over the last 24 hours about our loss - as fans of skating. We didn't even yet know for sure if Albena and Maxim were or were not going to skate competively this year - it looked like maybe not, but i was one of those holding out with great hope. But, even if they didn't compete, I could rest assured I'd see them in some show or something....Now, that hope is dashed (maybe not permanently, but it will always carry this burden now). I hate that their greatness is now forever linked to this tragedy; I hate that their relationship will suffer this difficult experience, I hate that their lives will now be indelibly marked by these events. I feel deeply for them. Do my deepest and most sincere feelings extend to those who died, were injured, and their loved ones - yes, but I also feel for maxim and the people directly in his life that are now also effected (and I can say this as a person who has a deep loathing of hummers, of reckless driving, and that selfish sense of entitlement that so often is demonstrated in the world today).
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2006
What I was trying to say and maybe it didn't come out right was....
Oda was on a moped. He had been drinking but I believe that his blood alcohol level was a great deal less then Staviski's. Anyway, he didn't hurt anyone by driving under the influence and he was banned from skating by the Japenese Federation for a long time. This doens't mean that he should be let off the hook. He should be punished for what he did.
Staviski had a pretty high blood alcohol level. He was driving a Hummer which can pretty much destroy anything it hits. He killed someone and yet there seems to be no reprocussions as of yet.
This all seems pretty lopsided to me and while Oda's punishment doens't really fit the crime, right now niether does Staviski's.
I will not ever be a fan of someone who drinks and drives...especially when you kill and innocent person.
Oda was on a moped. He had been drinking but I believe that his blood alcohol level was a great deal less then Staviski's. Anyway, he didn't hurt anyone by driving under the influence and he was banned from skating by the Japenese Federation for a long time. This doens't mean that he should be let off the hook. He should be punished for what he did.
Staviski had a pretty high blood alcohol level. He was driving a Hummer which can pretty much destroy anything it hits. He killed someone and yet there seems to be no reprocussions as of yet.
This all seems pretty lopsided to me and while Oda's punishment doens't really fit the crime, right now niether does Staviski's.
I will not ever be a fan of someone who drinks and drives...especially when you kill and innocent person.
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- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
emma- I don't know about you but I've experienced one too many scary bus and taxi drivers to even consider public transportation SAFER than driving myself :lol:
But does alchohol affect him in the exact same way as Maxim? If he's a new drinker then probably not.
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
True (plus alcohol tends to effect Japanese far more than Russians). However, we are not talking about say 1 percentage point difference. Oda was at 0.6, taken right at that moment. Maxim was at 1.1, likely taken some time after the accident, meaning that it was probably even higher than that at the moment of the crash. Look at it this way - Oda would have been legal in all 50 states (well, OK, 49 states, since my state has really wacky laws - we don't have any numerical limit, it's pretty much up to the cops what to call legal or not) and only slightly over the limit in most European countries; Maxim, OTOH, would have been guilty in all 50 states.
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2006
Are you sure it wasn't 100km/hr?
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
as I said on the oda thread, I don't care what it would be in the states. he wasn't pulled over in teh states. I personally think the limit is too high.
both were in the wrong, both deserve strict punishment. Just because one was in a hummer and one was on a moped... just because one should know better and one is still learning (poor excuse IMHO, old enough to drink and drive, old enough to be caught and punished). Mopeds mow people down too, we had an accident up here not too long ago.
That Oda didn't kill anyone does not make it less of a bad thing. He was just fortunate enough to get caught and hopefully will have a chance to correct his mistakes before getting into the habit of thinking he's above the law and go out and kill someone.
I know what things affect me to the point where I am no longer fit to drive. I won't even drive with tylenoll in my system because I can't handle it. I get so stupidly loopy on just about anything that I'm not going to even take the chance. It's not that hard to know your limits of anything, and it's up to the driver - not a legal limit number, or another person - to make the call... and so it should be the DRIVER who is found at fault when they are over the limit.
When in doubt - don't!
both were in the wrong, both deserve strict punishment. Just because one was in a hummer and one was on a moped... just because one should know better and one is still learning (poor excuse IMHO, old enough to drink and drive, old enough to be caught and punished). Mopeds mow people down too, we had an accident up here not too long ago.
That Oda didn't kill anyone does not make it less of a bad thing. He was just fortunate enough to get caught and hopefully will have a chance to correct his mistakes before getting into the habit of thinking he's above the law and go out and kill someone.
I know what things affect me to the point where I am no longer fit to drive. I won't even drive with tylenoll in my system because I can't handle it. I get so stupidly loopy on just about anything that I'm not going to even take the chance. It's not that hard to know your limits of anything, and it's up to the driver - not a legal limit number, or another person - to make the call... and so it should be the DRIVER who is found at fault when they are over the limit.
When in doubt - don't!
- Joined
- May 6, 2006
You're right; I've got to pay more attention to units--made a similar mistake with Oda. It was about 60 mi/hr then.
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- May 6, 2006
It's good advice and I'm glad you follow it!
But I wouldn't say it's quite that easy, and there's some learning by experience involved for things like effects of tylonol, or cold medicine, or illness, or tiredness. And since most people with a small alcohol impairment don't feel impaired, it stands to reason that most people with a small illness/emotional upset/tiredness/general distractedness impairment would also not feel impaired, so how could you be sure that you were following this advice at all times?
*It's normal for people with an average sleep schedule to feel tired in midafternoon.
*It's normal for people to begin a commute early in the morning after coffee, but coffee wears off over time, so a person who started off feeling fine could suddenly be aware of impairment while on the road. Slight impairment would probably never come to their attention unless there were an accident.
*I used to live in Northern Virginia, where commuting an hour in the early AM and an hour home in mid-afternoon is normal. Safety guides about driving tired say that coffee is not good enough as a preventative measure, but if driving tired and under the influence of coffee is immoral and irresponsible(which I'm not saying it isn't) then maybe work schedules should be adjusted.
*I think there should be a stronger emphasis on educating people about driving impaired for factors unrelated to drugs or alcohol.
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- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
Or money should be invested in public transportation
Only a danger to himself, on a moped? Ok. Supposing Oda, driving drunk on a moped, had fallen asleep, or lost control on wet pavement, or for some other reason lost control of the bike and gone out into the path of traffic...causing a car to swerve to avoid hitting him, which then hits another car, killing one person and injuring several others. At that point, was he "just a danger to himself"?
All this crap about "Oda was just on a moped" is just that, crap. He had an above limit alcohol level and was on a vehicle on a public road. Period. End of story. I am sure he is reading about this issue and thanking God that he didn't cause a similar event.
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2006
I'm with you on this one, Kasey. I don't know how many times I've been the designated driver with my friends when we go out to the bar districts here in San Diego, only to have some drunken person WALKING walk out onto the street, and make me swerve to avoid them. Just thinking about it scares me--I could've hit another car.
