Simple enough topic: What is your opinion of how drunk drivers should be punished?
I was talking to a friend of mine who opined that drunk drivers should get zero strikes or chances, that instead of a fine and license suspension or blowing into a breathalyzer to start the ignition of a car, the penalty should be a minimum of one full year in prison with no parole. Then my friend further recommended a stiff community service stretch to boot.
My experiences as a former prison guard have let me see many inmates who were sentenced to five years but only after three strikes/drunk driving offenses.
Because I’m not a hypocrite, I fully admit that I’m guilty of having driving while intoxicated and I’m ashamed of myself. I’ve realized that I was young and stupid and should have my head examined for being so reckless.
What say you?
How stiffly should drunk driving laws be enforced?
No penalty. People hit other people all the time, drinking or not. Statistics are skewed because of very low legal limits, on hits that probably would have happened anyways from bad judgement even if they didn't have that one or two beers.
Let people do whatever they want, drinking, carrying around guns, bazookas, crack, whatever. Stop trying to prevent crimes before they happen. Save the weight of the law for people who cause harm.
__________________ What CDTM believes;
Never let anyone else define you. Don't be a jerk just to be a jerk, but if you are expressing your true inner feelings and beliefs, or at least trying to express that inner child, and everyone gets pissed off about it, never NEVER apologize for it. Let them think what they want, let them define you in their narrow little minds while they suppress every last piece of them just to keep a friend that never liked them for themselves in the first place.
In the eighties, I used to drink drive all the time, it was socially acceptable, got breathalyser a few times always got green or amber. I was lucky, as the world turned I stopped. Now, I see it as socially irresponsible tbh.
I don't see the point in sending someone to prison for drunk driving (that hasn't yet resulted in a accident, mind you). Seems like that's ultimately a bigger burden on tax payers. An automatic 6-12 months license suspension seems like a fair punishment. I think that's how it already is in most states, which is why some people advocate for harsher punishments, but the thing to keep in mind is that- like in the case of most crimes and punishments- harsher punishments don't really correlate with less crime. The punishment for DUI can be having your balls chopped off and people will still drive drunk, purely because they don't think they'll get caught in the first place. And with DUIs especially, when you're drunk or high the first thing that goes is your judgement, which exasperates your lack of giving a **** about the potential consequences of your actions.
If society wants to see larger decreases in drunk driving, the actual long-term solution is to push harder for automated vehicles and expanded public transportation systems. American car culture and the idea that you must drive your own car everywhere all the time is the largest contributing factor toward accidents.
Are you asserting that impairment does not meaningfully inhibit your ability to operate a car safely?
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"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."
Last edited by Tzeentch on Apr 25th, 2020 at 06:24 PM
They tried that already, it just increased the amount of drinking people do and empowered the mafia.
__________________
"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."
Automatic prison sentences seems unrealistic to me, prison has largely proven to be ineffective. I'd like to see some harsh community service implemented, make them help out on a trauma ward or have them assist roadside accident crews, I figure at least a handful will get the picture then.
__________________ Then lets head down into that cellar and carve ourselves a witch
Personally I feel every car should come with one of those things where u need to pass a breathalyzer to start it.
__________________ Chicken Boo, what's the matter with you? You don't act like the other chickens do. You wear a disguise to look like human guys, but you're not a man you're a Chicken Boo.
People who DWI are motivated to do so by several things (with one or more applying):
1. They have a substance abuse problem and DWI is just a natural outcome of being intoxicated or under the influence - they still have to TRY to function as a normal member of society but their drug abuse issues are getting in the way of real life.
2. They are selfish and lazy. They'd rather save a buck or two than wait to clear the drugs or get a cab/uber/lyft.
3. They are drunker than they think they are and they don't have a breathalyzer to verify their intoxication. This can apply to other drugs, as well. It's an honest mistake and no one around them is trained to give them a sobriety test to verify if they are safe to drive. It's a dangerous guess and, hey, they've driven MANY times before while under the influence and had no problems, so they should be okay this time, right?
4. They encountered a shitty situation and wanted to quickly get home to safety. While under the influence. And they were emotionally distraught.
Some scenarios involve more than one of the above. And I think a prosecutors job should be figuring out which of those scenarios apply and then making a decision from there. If #2, I agree with your friend - sort of. They need to be fined heavily, put through a rehab program of some sort, and be evaluated by 2-3 mental health professionals to determine whether or not they are safe to drive again. No incarceration and they should have that breathalyzer thing installed if it was alcohol. If it was drugs, random drug tests where a probation officer shows up, unannounced, and gets a drug test completed. At lest 4 during a 6 month period.
I could go into more details as I have met many people that fall into 1 or more of those 4 scenarios.
I mean, think about it. We operate under impaired conditions all the time, drink or no. If you're working 12 hour shifts, night shifts, 60 hour weeks, still have to look after a family, and get only five hours a night maximum, that's impairment. I'd bet that's way more impaired then a well rested guy wity three 5 abv beers in him
Then there's studies done on the effects of, shall we say, a delicate condition of one of the sexes. Turns out the effects on cognitive functions are the same as being under the influence.
But statistics don't care, if you're even .01 over the limit and get in a fender bender, must have been the booze.
As if they can control for other factors, which is impossible.
__________________ What CDTM believes;
Never let anyone else define you. Don't be a jerk just to be a jerk, but if you are expressing your true inner feelings and beliefs, or at least trying to express that inner child, and everyone gets pissed off about it, never NEVER apologize for it. Let them think what they want, let them define you in their narrow little minds while they suppress every last piece of them just to keep a friend that never liked them for themselves in the first place.
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Apr 25th, 2020 03:24 PM
