Stricter Penalties on First-Time Drunk Driving Offenders Essay Example for Free

Stricter Penalties on First-Time Drunk Driving Offenders Essay According to a study done by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, one in three Americans will be in an accident involving a drunk driver during their lifetime (Phong). Something needs to be done to address this matter considering the frequency of these accidents, the fatality of many of these accidents, and the accessibility of alcohol in today’s culture. An increase in penalties for first time offenders could significantly lower this statistic by encouraging drivers to not repeat their offense. Understandably, some people make mistakes and can correct them after their first offense. However, a larger number of people repeat this offense and are found driving under the influence or intoxicated after their first offense. Stricter penalties and punishments should be established for first time offenders because most drivers are inclined to repeat their offense, drunk drivers impact other people, and the current laws are ineffective. Stricter penalties need to be established to show drivers the importance of driving sober. First time offenders are incredibly likely to drive drunk again simply because they think they can get away with it. According to various studies, first-time drunk driving offenders are on the road anywhere from 88 to 500 times before they are caught in the act of driving drunk (Mejeur). To drunk drivers, it is worth driving drunk and running the risk of getting caught because they believe the chances of them getting arrested are close to none. This mindset needs to be changed completely. Intoxicated drivers need to understand that it is not worth the risk of driving under the influence. When deciding whether or not to hit the road under the influence, the punishments need to out weigh the benefits of driving intoxicated in the drivers’ mind. Mejeur reveals in another article that â€Å"5% of alcohol related fatal crashes involved drivers with more that 5 previous DWI (driving while intoxicated) arrests† (9). This means their first five arrests for driving under the influence did not deter them. Stricter penalties will encourage drivers to choose not to repeat their actions. Finally, â€Å"39% of the country’s drunk driving cases involved second time offenders, and 11% involved third and fourth time offenders† (Phong). Even after being convicted of a drunk driving charge, 50% of these drivers chose to drive on the roads drunk, endangering thousands of people. Clearly the legal system is not efficient in discouraging drunk driving after a driver’s first offense. This just shows that most first-time drunk driving offenders choose to drive under the influence of alcohol multiple times before getting caught, and even after, they choose to continue this incredibly dangerous behavior. Stricter penalties will deter drivers from getting behind the wheel under the influence. Since the actions of drunk drivers not only affect themselves, but they also affect others, there need to be more severe punishments for drunk drivers. In just 2004, 320 people were killed by drunk drivers every week, which is â€Å"roughly the equivalent of a weekly plane crash killing everyone on board. If that were the case, no one would fly and the public would demand change† (Savage). Many people are killed by drunk drivers, but the public has become so accustomed to hearing about drunk driving accidents, that no ones seeks to change this, because it has become the norm. The truth is that the number of people killed by drunk drivers has increased since then, yet there has been little change. When a drunk driver takes a person’s life, that person’s family must live with that decision the drunk driver made to get behind the wheel, for the rest of their life. When drivers drink and drive, they put thousands and thousands of people in danger. Their actions reach much father than they even realize. Of children ages 14 and under who died in a car accident last year, in 16% of these accidents had alcohol as a factor (Messenger 2). These are innocent children who find themselves either in the car with a drunk driver, or the victim of an accident with another drunk driver. If penalties were stronger for first time offenders, the number of innocent children whose lives are taken would drop. There are so many sad stories of people loosing loved ones to the poor choices of drunk drivers. In a story published by The Washington Post, Michael Pangle was arrested in 2002 for drunk driving and was released to the custody of a friend that same night. His friend drove him to his car where he went to another bar, got behind the wheel, and got into an accident killing himself and another driver; a father of three on his way home (Phong 3). Not only did Pangle lose his life, but he also took the life of a father of three; a husband to their mother. The family will have to live with this loss the rest of their life. The actions of drunk drivers can affect innocent people for the rest of their life. Laws need to be made to try and prevent this irresponsible behavior. The final reason to enforce stricter penalties is that the penalties in place now have little to no affect on the drivers and often fail to do any justice. Pam Louwagie found that ? of drivers pulled over by a police officer decline to take a breath test which results in a suspended license. Failing the test means losing your license, facing a drunk driving conviction, fines, and potentially jail time. Drivers’ auto insurance jumps, jobs can be in jeopardy because they now have a prior offense on their record (3). The choice is clear for a driver pulled over that has been accused of drunk driving. The penalties for refusing the test are a lot less severe than taking the test and failing. According to findings by Joe Mahr, â€Å"When drivers refuse to take a breathalyzer test, the law allows them to appeal the one-year suspension in civil court. But most prosecutors bargain away the suspensions as part of plea deals in criminal DWI cases. The end result: Defendants admit to drunk driving and don’t miss one day of driving† (2). It is evident that drunk drivers have found a way around the legal system. It should not be that easy for drunk drivers to get off a charge and be allowed to continue driving on the roads. Even after putting so many people in danger, including themselves. Stricter penalties are a necessity. Another weakness of the legal system is at the trial and sentencing phase. If offenders do not show up for a trial, a warrant is issued. However, people on warrants are rarely tracked down unless they are involved in another crime (Mahr 2). They can potentially avoid prosecution indefinitely. Many offenders know how to work the system to their advantage. The legal projection and punishments of drunk drivers needs to be reevaluated. Too many drunk drivers get out of being convicted of DWIs or DUIs and can continue to drive drunk, endangering many people. Since most drunk drivers are inclined to repeat their offense, the actions of drunk drivers affect on others, and current laws are ineffective, stricter punishments need to be established. The number of fatalities as a result of drunk driving is only going to increase if no action is taken, causing pain to thousands and thousands of people. This irresponsible act needs to be addressed because drunk drivers continue to get behind the wheel everyday with no regard for the law or those they put in danger. By demanding change and encouraging stricter punishments for first time drunk driving offenders, the number of fatalities will decrease and drunk driving will become less of a problem all across the nation.