In the News

[Adrian6970]

I would assume that public urination laws are suspended under such circumstances.

One would hope so. I'm no legal expert but I don't think public urination per se is illegal in the UK, although it may involve contravening some local byelaws. However people who do it could still potentially be prosecuted for outraging public decency. I do hope though that in emergency situations the authorities allow matters for fall on the side of leniency.

[bodgyuk]

Well before 2000, the law that would be used to prosecute public urination in England was an ancient one of 'committing a nuisance'. Different law applied to the demarked area of The City of London as that has not only its' own police force but additional byelaws.

[Fred]

I some US states, exposing the penis is a sex crime, and those found guilty are listed as sexual offenders.

[Brian]

Remarkable, Fred, that relieving yourself outside out of sheer necessity can land you with a criminal record as a sex offender in some states! I must remember never to get caught short when out and about if I ever cross the Altantic again.

In The Netherlands it is simply illegal (but far from being a "crime"!) to pee in a public place which is not intended for that purpose. Police frequently give fines to guys who are out late at night for doing just that. But I think the motivation here is hygiene and avoiding the resulting acrid smells in the shopping centres. Most men do at least try to do it discreetly when they have to, so exposure isn't normally an issue.

[Adrian6970]

Remarkable, Fred, that relieving yourself outside out of sheer necessity can land you with a criminal record as a sex offender in some states! I must remember never to get caught short when out and about if I ever cross the Altantic again.

Or take a plentiful supply of adult nappies with you as I would!

My guess is that wearing of adult nappies is commoner on both sides of the pond than most people suspect, although one could conjecture that it was probably done more in the US than the UK out of sheer necessity. I remember being told many years ago that there was a big cultural difference between the two places over the matter of toileting and that, as a general rule, people were much more careful about 'going' before they left hiome in the USA than the UK. As with all general rules there are bound to be exceptions such as people who enjoy holding/risk taking, as well as those who object to the idea of going potty when they don't need to or feel that 'breaking the seal' is just inviting trouble.

[Fred]

In the US, laws and customs regarding "public" urination vary widely from state to state. Some states are uptight and restrictive, and other are more casual and tolerant. In my rural state, on lightly-traveled country roads it is not unusual to see a man taking a leak beside his car, and he may even wave to you with his free hand. However, we're not quite so casual on major roads with traffic from other states.

[Brian]

http://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/222678/St ... itiebureau

In Dutch. My translation below:

Inebriated dangerous driver continues the flow in detention room of police station


ZANDVOORT - An inebriated car driver who drove extremely aggressively through Zandvoort yesterday afternoon was stopped in his tracks by inhabitants of that coastal village. After being arrested for the second time some hours later, he responded in a quite "pissy" manner.

When the locals saw the man tearing along the Tolweg, they alerted the police. However the villagers decided not to wait for the officers to arrive and went after him themselves, according to police in Bloemendaal, Heemstede and Zandvoort.

This was successful, because before the police even had him in their sights the villagers had already forced him to the side of the road. When a breathalyzer test indicated that the man had had too much to drink, the man was forbidden to drive any further and his driving licence was confiscated.

That did not deter the man, as was apparent to the Haarlem police when they saw him later driving on the Leidsevaart. Rather than conduct a chase, the police decided to block the man with their cars. He was taken to the police station where a new report was made against him: this time not only for driving under influence, but also for driving when forbidden to do so and for driving when his driving licence had been confiscated.

Even with those extra charges, it was not the end of the story: after the man had been taken to the detention room (a sort of waiting room), he couldn't hold 'it' in any longer and pissed all over the floor. For that too he was charged by the police.

[Fred]

I suspect that many drunks that the police arrest have a full bladder, and if they aren't given the opportunity to relieve themselves it's going to happen anyway.

[bradelzs]

Saw this on twitter.

It's quite a funny interview with IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe about him peeing himself.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/04/indyca ... -interview

[Brian]

Saw this on twitter.

It's quite a funny interview with IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe about him peeing himself.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/04/indyca ... -interview

Excellent find! Thanks for sharing it. I love both stories that he tells here, both the one about himself and the other about an incident with another racing driver.