ladyislingering

I'll cut to the chase: I hate people who speed, people who don't use their blinkers, people who are generally shitty drivers, people who don't pay attention while driving, and just people in general when I'm driving. (Seriously, you're driving what's essentially a death-trap - use your damn heads once in a while.)

But what I hate most of all are drunk drivers. If Earth were to wear underpants, these people would be a shitstain on said underpants. I don't care if you're black, white, yellow, green, Christian, male, female, liquid, whatever. I don't care who you are, where you're from, what your childhood was like, who your friends are, or anything about you. There is no excuse. There is never an excuse.

Here's some hard facts relating to one of the most idiotic offenses known to mankind:

• On average, every 48 minutes, at least one person dies from injuries sustained either by a drunken moron behind the wheel, or they're the moron themselves.
  
• It's not just alcohol: if your stupid ass has been doing drugs (usually paired with alcohol) you're probably gonna kill yourself or someone else. Because you're an idiot.
  
• Most drunk driving incidents are caused by men.
  
• It usually only takes TWO BEERS to lower your judgment.

You might wonder "well, how can I stop myself from acting like a dribbling chimp with one full brain hemisphere missing from my skull?" Well, it's quite easy.

If you don't have a designated driver, don't drink. Just don't. If you have to drink to have a good time around your friends, your friends probably suck. And if your friends are planning on driving drunk, steal their keys, or if you're the DD, drive them home yourself. They can come back for their car when they're sober.

What usually happens to people who drink and drive? Well, it all depends. If they've just gotten pulled over and haven't killed anyone yet, they pretty much get a slap on the wrist, because the government is ridiculously lenient. What if your stupid ass kills someone?

Here's a comprehensive list.

None of those should ever list 0. That's ridiculous. Drunk drivers should never get away with killing someone.

Here's why you should be punished for the rest of your life (if, sadly, you don't manage to kill yourself) when they finally catch you:

It's your fault. There's no excuse. I don't care how drunk someone is; their basic judgment is still intact. Just because you have something to blame other than how stupid you really are doesn't mean you should get away with it. There is absolutely no situation in which you should be drunk behind the wheel. You're just a goddamn idiot.

You're putting other drivers at risk. You might kill someone who's actually a law-abiding citizen, with a decent family and a decent life. You'll get charged with vehicular manslaughter, but they'll probably let you off immediately or only send your ass to prison for 5 years, maximum. Your negligence could result in the death of an innocent person. I know most people don't care about anyone but themselves, but that's why you're drinking and driving: because you're an ignorant piece of garbage.

You'll probably end up a repeat offender. Most idiots don't learn from their mistakes. They might put a breathalyzer on your car, but you're a criminal, you'll just get someone (maybe a child) to breathe into it for you, so you can (yet again) drive your drunk ass home (though everyone would prefer you'd drive it straight into a tree).

I have a few suggestions as to what can be done about these halfwits. Nobody likes drunk drivers. They have to know this for the rest of their lives.

Instead of revoking their license for a little while, consider putting them in jail for a minimum of 7 months. When they get out, that's when their license should be suspended, for up to 2 years. They should be forced to go to therapy during those 2 years, to learn how to enjoy alcohol appropriately. During this time, they should also have to complete 60 days of drunk driving education (complete with slideshows of gory accidents).

Once they have completed their entire course, they should be allowed to apply for a new license. They'll have to retake their knowledge and driving tests. Their license plates (on their impounded vehicle, which has been impounded since the day they went to jail) should be marked so the police (and the public) know that they're dealing with a potential drunkard. (In some states, they already have "drunk plates" - I think that's hilarious.)

They should have a breathalyzer affixed to their vehicle for the rest of the vehicle's life. This may not always prevent the driver from driving drunk, but it will act as a deterrent until more sophisticated technology is created. They should have 5 years of probation following the 2 years of treatment, with a requirement to "check in" with their probation officer every week.

If they're caught drinking and driving a second time, their vehicle should be taken away indefinitely. They should be punished by not being able to apply for a new license for up to 10 years.

With every new offense, the punishment should be more severe. Most people would be smarter than this, but usually they're not.

What happens if they kill someone?

I believe if a drunk driver kills someone (anyone, including people in their vehicle) they should serve life in prison. If they kill more than 2 people, they should get the death penalty.

What are your thoughts on punishment for drunk driving/driving while impaired? Are the laws strict enough already, or do they need to be tougher?

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Paul Smeenus

I didn't even get a drivers licence until I'd been sober for 15 years

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Cuthbert

I think a couple of things are a bit OTT there but what you're saying rings true. There are far too many fucking bellends on the road.

Shocking how many people I know, who drive after drinking. They aren't necessarily pissed as farts, but they do it anyway. 'I've only had a couple' or 'It's only down the road'... It's unnecessary & can have disastrous consequences. V. selfish imo. You're in control of what can be effectively used as a weapon so you should be heavily punished if you get behind the wheel after drinking.

Not sure what the exact punishment is here but do know a couple of people who crashed their cars/failed breathalysers and got off with fines & points.

I'd be in favour of stripping someone of their license with a period of 5 or so years before you can re-apply. Agree w/ having to go on a course of some sort too.

EDIT - Also, there shouldn't be a 'limit'. Either you've drank or you haven't. Having a limit just means people try to cut corners or push it as far as they can. If you've had a drink, don't care how small it is, you shouldn't be allowed to drive.

Cheese

There's little point debating it in this country. Our whole justice system is a f*cking big joke...more centred around the lawbreakers rights than the innocent peoples

ladyislingering

There are lawyers that exist solely to help drunk drivers avoid penalties. I've heard commercials on the radio. I thought they were some kind of joke at first.

My feelings exactly. I don't care if they've had one beer, one glass of wine, one sip, one glass, one bottle. Doesn't matter. You booze, you lose.

And (please don't take this the wrong way, as I completely adore you as a person) it probably gave you a lot of time to set yourself straight.

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Cheese

It has nothing to do with lawyers here, it's just the way it is and always will be. The criminal has twice as many rights as the victim.

ladyislingering

Especially if the victim is dead.

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Cheese

Regardless of the outcome

Cheese

The penalty for drunk driving here not involving death is usually a crappy fine and 3 months loss of licence.........unless however you're a sports celebrity. If you are one of those people here you seem to get off scott free.......If it's fatal you serve 2 to 3 years jail often out in 18 months and lose you licence for a year. It's a sham

Psy-Fi

I actually know one of those lawyers. He was recently arrested (guess what for!)

What shocks me is how many people I knew who died as a result of drunk driving. Those who killed themselves behind the wheel, those who were passengers and were with someone who was driving drunk and were killed in an accident (usually the drunk driver survived.)
I can think of 10 people at the moment and one who put himself in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Most of them were in their 20's, one was 19, two were 18 and the youngest was 16.

And most everyone I know has similar stories about people they know or knew who were seriously injured or killed in drunk driving accidents.

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She's a Brick House