Perhaps I overstated. But it is common for those who drive impaired to believe that while most people aren’t drunk all the time, most people do drive impaired often. Fact is, in my experience, very few do. That doesn’t make the ones that do any less dangerous, it doesn’t mean there aren’t far too many who do, and it doesn’t alter my recommendation. Those that do routinely drive impaired need to be removed from the roads for the safety of those of us that don’t and our children… and even their own children.
Boston’s Police Chief said in a TV interview “80% of our crime is committed by the same 300 people… and we know who they are.” I believe the same applies to drunk driving. I believe the overwhelming majority of DUIs are repeat offenders. Ergo, if we take away their access to a car, we eliminate the overwhelming majority of drunk driving chaos; the deaths, the ruined lives, the costs to the innocent, and it might even have a positive effect on insurance rates. But the money isn’t the reason I feel this way. The deaths, ruined lives, and costs to innocent victims is the reason. Repeat DUI offenders have been freely driving our roads for far too long. Time to do something about it.
There’s merit in that argument, @the_same_mountainbik, but the problem is actually following through with it. Take their car away. They’ll buy another one. Take their license away. They’ll drive without one and when they get caught, the cop will be nice to them and let them park the car until a licensed driver can move it, and then they’ll come back and get it themselves when the cop is gone.
I advocate lengthy jail terms for repeat DUI offenders, and even lengthier ones for repeat offenders who drive without a license. As far as I’m concerned, it’s attempted murder.
The only place we really disagree is that I don’t advocate punishing someone who didn’t drive drunk just because someone who did had borrowed their car. But that wouldn’t even be necessary if we did what we needed to do regarding the actual drunk.
They might be temporarily kept from driving drunk if their friend won’t lend them a car, at least until they find another car to use, but they’ll be unable to drive for a much longer time if they’re sitting in a jail cell.
It’s infuriating that there are people sitting in jail for minor drug possession charges unrelated to driving, while killers roam the streets too blind-drunk to even realize it when they run someone over.
Taking licenses away clearly hasn’t worked as well as we would hope, but it should continue. And some would, granted just go buy another car and continue drinking and driving. But I think that would be a very small percentage of those who lost their cars. Most might end up buying another car, but I think the financial impact would make tyhem think twice before drinking and driving again.
Hey, it’s the only idea I can come up with that hasn’t been tried, and I truly think it would make a difference.
I have to say that this issue to me is not really a burning issue although law enforcement do their campaigns pretty often. I think we may be missing the whole point of why people drink. I question whether its a logic or maturity thing so that the logical penalties of losing a license or a car or being shamed even just don’t have an impact. I think its not a logical thing at all so if we keep coming up with the same ole answers, soon enough it will sink in? I think I tried to relate one or two good men that I knew that drank all the time and were good fathers, employees, and husbands, but just drank. It was just a part of their life, like fishing. I don’t know why. Maybe companionship, maybe a gene, maybe it helps them cope. I don’t know but I think the issue is not stopping their drinking but keeping them from driving.
I was young and stupid once. At the age of 26 I got my CDL and my first good job with benefits. A DUI would have ended that. National Guard and my commercial driving job included drunk driving in their safety programs where I learned that it was also a great danger to innocent people. I grew up! I still enjoy a couple of beers in the evening at home. As soon as I open a beer I am prohibited from going anywhere near a driver’s seat. I agree that people cannot be prohibited from drinking (that was miserably unsuccessful when it was attempted). We definitely need more effective ways to keep them from driving.
I think we are equally cursed. I have been overdosed with safety training. I completed 30 + years Army aviation. I was school trained and certified for Aviation Accident Prevention and Aviation Accident Investigation. As a union officer on our civilian employee side I was school trained and certified on OSHA regulations. I unplug small appliances with heating elements and advise on fire egress lanes Normal people think I am safety crazy! Drunk driving is much more difficult. Permanent revocation of driving privilege is ineffective if they just continue to drive. Incarceration would cost $100s of billions.
