Drunk Driving Penalties
Topic emailed to me Sunday:
Hi-CBS '60 Minutes' tonight had a feature on death caused by drunk drivers. A prosecutor is going for murder convictions, not vehicular manslaughter, in order to get tougher sentences. I really like the thought provoking nature of the concept. If you decide to drive after drinking, and you cause an accident and someone dies, you are committing murder.
I agree.
Driving under the influence is a conscious decision. You could make plans to have a designated driver before you drink, or only drink at home, or plan ahead to have a cab pick you up. etc.
Wonder what others think?
Hi-CBS '60 Minutes' tonight had a feature on death caused by drunk drivers. A prosecutor is going for murder convictions, not vehicular manslaughter, in order to get tougher sentences. I really like the thought provoking nature of the concept. If you decide to drive after drinking, and you cause an accident and someone dies, you are committing murder.
I agree.
Driving under the influence is a conscious decision. You could make plans to have a designated driver before you drink, or only drink at home, or plan ahead to have a cab pick you up. etc.
Wonder what others think?
I, too, saw that report and thought "That lady needs a medal".
I sincerely hope that she has many successes and that lawyers around the country take her case examples to the courts.
There isn't any excuse for drunk driving. I have always felt that drivers arrested for driving drunk should pay the ultimate price for their actions.
Even if no one is killed the maim and suffering that some people go through is horrendous. The lose of so much should be paid for by the offending driver and/or family.
I read once that a driver that drank and caused the victim to be incapacitated was made to help and serve that person with most of his/her needs until able to function on their own.
Community service and a slap on the wrist just doesn't hack it with some, but a bite in the wallet will perhaps wake some up.
Insurance companies pay, but they squawk loud and long.
I wonder if our local lawyers would make any test cases in our courts if such an unfortunate happening took place on our roads, with our citizens.
Thanks for opening a new subject.
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Here in Taylor County, I think we can start at an even more basic level.
Our local officials have to show that they're serious about cracking down on drunk driving. It doesn't matter if you're buddies with the cop. It doesn't matter if you're buddies with the judge.
If you drive drunk, you have to be busted. No warnings. No second chances.
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YES, you are so right, couldn't have said it better myself. Personally, I think death caused by drunk driving should be considered a form of premeditated murder. The punishment would fit the crime and just maybe people would actually fear the punishment and not drink and drive, since taking someone's life is not a deterrent enough.
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I think if you look at the DUI issue in our county historically you will find that although the law enforcement and SAO community may have gotten "serious" recently, the judicary has long been manipulating the DUI issue for "buddies". There have been many examples of this! Buddies with Buddy Murphy! Sad but true!
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Having witnessed a 8 year old killed by a drunk driver just before Christmas, I have no sympathy whatsoever for drunk drivers. There are always alternatives to getting behind the wheel drunk.
Ironically, I used to defend some drunk drivers, but these were cases where the drunk driving had no proximate cause to the accident. For example, a drunk driver (I agree, should have never been on the road to begin with) may be legally stopped at a red light and be rear ended by someone who is not wearing a seat belt and is killed. The drunk driving had nothing to do with the accident and the drunk should not be charged with vehicular homicide. Had another case where the drunk was carrying a friend home and the friend had a heart attack in the car. The driver was charged with vehicular homicide. However, his drunk driving had nothing to do with the heart attack.
However, any of us could be killed by an irresponsible and selfish person who gets behind the wheel intoxicated. We do need to get tougher.
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To Masquerade:
Any one stopped for driving intoxicated should be immediately taken off the road and sent to jail.
The fine for this offense should be a minimum of one thousand dollars, 4 weekends in jail, and mandatory community service of 100 hours. If it means time off of work with out pay so be it. Hardship on the family (if there is one) so be it, the drunk should have thought of them before he/she spent the money on booz and started driving.
Drinking at parties should be held up to the same rules as liquor/beer/wine serving establishments. THere have been cases where the business was held liable for serving a person who was past the point of no return. Private party givers should observe their friends/guests in the same manner.
Hard you bet -- but maybe, just maybe, someday the related death statistics will be very very low.
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