Are Drunk Driving Laws Too Strict?
New studies are published almost daily concerning worldwide drunk driving statistics and causes. With so much information available to law enforcement officers and politicians, it is no wonder that drunk driving laws are becoming more strict with each legislative session! The only way to fight these laws is to not drink more than one ounce of liquor per day or to simply not get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle if you’ve consumed any alcohol.
If you are caught driving drunk in some states such as Washington or Texas, you could lose your license for a predetermined amount of time, based on your toxicity level at the time of testing or arrest, or you could end up losing it altogether. The people that yield power in this arena are seriously concerned about drunk driving laws and want them to remain strict and even become stricter in the future. Since it is unlikely that Prohibition will ever be re-enacted, it’s something we all have to live with.
Drinking is a serious issue because it damages the body in so many ways and often affects people that do not even drink. Many states now require mandatory jail time for drunk drivers. It’s also become more difficult for repeat offenders to get “work permit” driver licenses as a result of DUI law enforcement practices and new strict drunk driving laws.
You could also lose your right to vote or own a weapon, and many states require that you pass a DUI school release exam before reinstating your lost license. Once you have been arrested for driving drunk, you will probably be required to take some sort of psychological assessment test before being allowed to even retain your license. And of course, your insurance costs will skyrocket.
More courts are awarding higher damages to those injured by drunk drivers, regardless of where they obtained the alcohol, and often include the alcohol provider in the lawsuit.
Many alcohol consumers feel that drunk driving laws are too strict, and try to cite studies that show there has been a reduction in fatalities in order to strengthen their case or minimize the damage they caused. It’s a losing battle though, because law enforcement agencies just don’t see it that way. The statistics show that the strict laws are keeping people safer. It’s not from drinkers being more responsible.
Business owners are at risk too. If your business serves alcohol by the drink you can take the first step in protecting yourself against lawsuits by having a coin-operated alcohol breath analyzer on the premises. Prevention is the best way to avoid potential litigation resulting from drunk drivers and your insurance company may even reduce your premiums.
See the state statistics and decide for yourself if drunk driving laws are too strict.
I definitely sympathize with the undeniable loss family’s have endured due to drunk driving, however, the laws approach individuals who made a single mistake as have the potential to harm someone as the same as harming someone. DUIs definitely should carry a penalty, and it should be a penalty aimed at education about the effects and impacts of drunk driving. It should not cause someone to fear for their job, their ability to live life freely, or trigger thoughts of depression and anxiety because they made a single mistake that they have proven through the course of their penalties, shown to learn and regret, and was not premeditated. This, of course, would not apply to those who caused physical or property damage.
The stats are very skewed and misleading as far as alcohol related accidents. The propaganda is also very bogus and misleading. For example,did you know that the BAC of 0.01 is used by the NHTSA to define an alcohol related accident. And that accident is then applied to the stats used for drunk driving? There’s a HUGE money grab going on here. M.A.D.D is making a fortune!! The ignition interlock mfg’s are now making a killing, which M.A.D. also has their hands in. The D.U.I laws are draconian,debilitating and destructive. It’s out of control.
Thank you!
DUI laws are all about the money made off of 0 tolerance laws.
Even little things like alcohol based sugers in soft drinks can make a breathalyzer show positive results leading to a DUI.
Madd and state driving schools are making a fortune.
This needs to stop.
How DO we make this stop? Why don’t they at least have a sliding scale? It seems obvious to me that someone who has had two beers that has not broken any traffic laws, totally in control of his vehicle, but gets busted by some dragnet DUI sting should not carry the same consequences as someone who is hammered and driving like a maniac. Maybe they don’t want the evidence showing how well people can drive over the almost zero legal limit. It’s not right to criminalize prudent adults for having a beer with friends and driving home (because they know they are perfectly able to do so). So what is the “mistake” they really made? Getting on a road with over zealous policeman who will throw you in jail at the drop of a hat where you land squarely in a corrupt system of judges and lawyers that want to penalize you to the max and bankrupt you so you can’t get out? It is sad that a country that calls itself free treats its citizens like such pieces of garbage.
The punishment far outweighs the crime too often. People here in Texas have been pushed into homelessness for a FIRST TIME OFFENSE. People get their licenses suspended, so they can’t go to work. They’re required to do jail time or intensive therapy, so they can’t go to work. Then they can’t pay rent. Then they become homeless due to all the fees. On top of it, you can never get a DWI violation expunged. Why the need to ruin people’s lives? I get it, drunk driving and all, but everyone makes mistakes, and on top of it, there is a zero tolerance policy, meaning harsh punishment for people who aren’t even really drunk. It’s infuriating, and nothing but a cash cow for already rich people.
The laws are designed to ruin peoples lives, why? From what I am reading from the other comments it is all about money. The people who have money get the best lawyers, fight it and win. The middle class once again gets screwed. They have to pay for an attorney and they will promise you they can help you beat it. They string you along even when they know in the end it is very hard to beat and rarely win. The poor of course get free attorneys, however they are working for the courts. So they get convicted. Where is the humanity in all this. They make the laws so strict that people want to fight it and make poor choices like refusing the breathalyzer. So if you refuse the breathalyzer now you lose your license for 3 years in some states. Try keeping your job without transportation. It is the only law where you are guilty before proven innocent. There is not much else they can do to you once your license is taken away for three years. However that isn’t good enough because then you have to get into a program. The rehabilitation classes don’t seem to be in place to help anyone, they are intended to degrade and depress the person. Also mandated to attend 72 AA meetings for a second offense. Ok how does that work with no license. Some people aren’t even alcoholics they just made a stupid mistake. So people who aren’t alcoholics are suppose to participate in AA meetings??Things that could help and stop so much destruction of a person life are: The interlock should be put on after the first offense. It should work, because from what I hear they break and cost alot to fix and maintain. More $$ for someone. DUI should be taken off of your record after so many years so you can get a job, and all offenders should have the opportunity to drive to work and home if they need to keep their job or maybe the State could provide transportation for the person. If someone has an addiction to alcohol then they should get real help. Not unproductive classes where you’re treated like dirt and are told over and over again you are a terrible person because you drank and drove. This has got to stop. MADD, law enforcement, the court system and the rehab programs are racking in the bucks on the backs of vulnerable people. There are worse crimes with less consequences. It says nothing in the constitution about drinking alcohol. It is promoted on TV and magazines and it is not against the law. Driving under the influence should be considered on a case to case bases. The person needs real help for making such a mistake. Ruining their lives is inhumane and sad. I do not feel like I am living in a free society.
Many people are sadly made aware of the penalties associated with DUI after the fact. MADD had so much money poured in that they imploded at one point. It’s the politics. They take that money and lobby legislatures to crack down on it at the expense of loss wages, inadequate business expansion due to lack of licensed drivers. Higher insurance rates that insurance companies delight in and the list goes on. No one would argue that the death of a loved one in a drunk driving incident isn’t tragic. But how long should a person be incarcerated to bring them back? There are planned criminal acts that receive less jail time than DUI. So what to do? Why not use some of the money for educatng drivers about the consequences of DUI before the fact? In our drivers education course I school when I attended, I don’t remember any significant amount of teaching on the subject. Why not make it a part of obtaining a driver’s license to start with? What about defensive driving tecniques that help to spot and handle a drunk driver? The consequences should be clearly posted at any business that sells, or serves alcohol. Not only posted, but alternatives that one has to avoided being involved. Wouldn’t everyone be better served if an individual is placed in an alcohol treatment program, medically if necessary, to address the issue, rather than placed in jail awaiting release to repeat if no change in thinking, believing, and behavior happens? Who decides jail time? A bunch of reprobates set in their ways?( question, not a statement) Why not the death penalty? Isn’t that what MADD wants? There are different degrees of murder. So, if no one is killed, how would you prove motive? But DUI carries that stigma. Maybe that’s it? If a driver is taught about possible results of drunk driving, to themselves (physical and legal) and others, then signs a document stating thus, then they can be tried for murder if someone dies? Wouldn’t that be a real deterrent? The first part of the brain affected by alcohol is judgement. So a person under the influence isn’t operating with clear judgement. So their intent is never to cause injury.( except in rare cases where someone sets out to do so before they drank). Let’s not let money and how it is used, be the difference between life or death. How much would someone pay to have a loved one at home? Compare the amount of money the beer brewers, and the liquor distillers take in to the amount of money spent on prevention of DUIs. So, I guess it’s up to each of us who have been through the DUI tangle, both sides, to warn others, and to inform them of the alternatives available if they choose to use.
2nd dui $10.000 lawyer, lost my home, lost my marry, 5 year loss of license I wish they would of put me in jail for life because that’s how it feels, and it’s still going to cost me more, completely ruined my life I will never be able to do my job, where the end to this my life is ruined.
I think people have forgot that many mentally ill people in crisis and completely psychotic drink and are not capable of making the rational decision to drive, yet they go to prison to frequenters be killed. Where as a rational person standard here. Obviously treatment is the answer not jail or prison and if any one thinks differently than God strike you down. The laws need to address the condition of the offender against the ability of the offender.
The DUI laws are Far too harsh and need to be re-evaluated. It is a money trap. Thousands of dollars in cost along with a criminal record that will effect possible job opportunities or even a persons current job status should NOT be the consequence ESPECIALLY if there was no damage to property or bodily harm. EVERY DUI SHOULD be looked at IN detail and punished accordingly and not discriminatory.