Getting Rid of Drunk Drivers

It all comes down to the definition of "drunk". I never have more than one drink and drive, due to the draconian penalties associated with drinking and driving today.



I actually don't believe that all people are impaired by alcohol in the same way, and that impairment is difficult to objectively measure. There are a multitude of contributing factors, alcohol consumption being one.



That being said, my definition entails an unenforceable code. I would submit, however, that .08 (penalties start at .04 in most places, but they change the name of the penalties and don't publicize them as much - lovely for revenue and persecution, but bad judgment) is probably unreasonable and that there's a grey area between .08 and .12%.



0.12 I would argue is objectively impaired for anyone, but .08 is a tough argument for me to swallow, particularly at dumbed-down driving levels that we're subjected to in the U.S. - low speed limits, lots of lights etc.



cdg

So lets see, drink and drive then basically lose everything. Why not just shoot the drunk in the head on the side of the road? Name an employer in this day and age that is going to give you 3 years worth of vacation so you can do this "Boot Camp?" None, so there goes your job. Your going to be late on your mortgage or rent and every other bill so there is a nice ding on your credit if your lucky and an angry landlord. Needless to say you just paid 6 months rent for the privilage of going to bootcamp. If your single and have pets or children, they are dead or in protective custody. Try getting kids back after the state gets a hold of them. Your insurance goes thru the roof and you already lost your license for 3 months to a year.



All of this for something as little as a glass of wine or cold medication, since the vast majority of DUI's are first timers. Yeah, great plan and wont stop jack as human nature dictates that its always going to happen to the other guy. It will work just as well as the manditory minimum sentences have worked for drug convictions. What over 50% of prisoners are in for drugs?

Yes, let's do this......BUT we then also need to do it for accidents that cause death or injury due to the following:



-using a cell phone

-eating

-reading

-sleepiness

-arguing with your passenger

-failing to have your car maintained and/or repaired

-not managing a medical condition which caused you to become incapaciated while driving

-looking at an accident on the other side of the highway

-slow reaction time (due to old age for example)



.................................(fill in blank____________)

impound the car, force them to walk home

the ruskies or was it the scandinavians do it. The car either sits on the roadside or is taken to the police station. And the perp WALKS every last step to jail where they spend an evening drying out, being arraigned, fined HEAVILY and their license lost for a VERY long time. And none of this crap about a suspended license, or needing a license to conduct one's livlihood. If it wsa so damn important, why did you jeopardize that crucial bit of privilege in the first place? Clearly they don't care about keeping their job. So yeah, let them lose teir job, lose the house and so on. They made that decision for themselve the moment they wetted their lips with half-rotted grain.

Don't give this crap about most DUI's are 1st time offenders. Show me the statistical proof. But even if that were the case, so what. They deserve to have their privileges YANKED so hard nobody would be FOOL enough to drink in the first place let alone get behind the wheel after doing so. If you want to drink, stay the hell home.

For those sobbing liberals who blanch at the thought that criminals deserve the utmost in punishment, then fine, you get one screw-up before the 10ton brick lands on your self-centered ass. You hurt, maim, or kill someone it's automatic negligent vehicular homicide and minimum 10 year sentence with no chance of parole.

Yeah, we'll see how many people still choose to drink and then threaten other people's lives... Driving after imbibing (regardless of whether or not you happen to think you are impared or not) is no different than walking around a mall wildly popping off a handgun in random directions. Oh sure, you might drill most of your bullet holes into the ceiling tiles or the odd mannekin - or some 4yr old kid. In an event you deserve to be taken down like the terrorist s***** that you are.

Think that's so unfair? Why don't we ask the thousands of dead people/year who are no longer with us what they think of being murdered in cold blood. Or the children, wives, husbands whose lives have been shattered by people who show such total disregard for their fellow man that they chose to kill indescriminately?

I say we give the sherriff a shotgun to just randomly fire into the crowd of boozers. Call it a preemptive strike. They are all destined to become criminals eventually, we'll just spare society the costs of their statistically predicted future behavior. Or maybe the feds have brewers randomly poison their stock so people who drink die. Say 20,000 bottles worth a year. Don't want to die, don't drink. Kinda like don't eat Blowfish if you don't want to die.

How is drinking any different than a Muslim suicide bomber going thru his ritualistic cleansing before blowing himself up in the marketplace? The are both preparing to murder innocent passersby.

If it weren't for human corruption, why not make it a condition of a licquer license for any establishment to station cops and analyzers at the door and anyone blowing over the limit to be cuffed to the "drying out" rail? Even better if it's outside in the squalid heat or feezing cold. Nothing like public humiliation to adjust one's decision process. I'm sure their date would be impressed by having their evening extend a couple hours till the sauce wears off.

You want to drink, be my guest. Keep it under control so you don't even THINK of leaving the establishment over the limit, or otherwise keep it inside your own house and stay put.

(nothing like an incendiary post, eh?)