Drunk Driving Repercussions
Drunk driving has been and continues to be an extremely serious issue. It affects so many in different ways, from the drunk driver, the person they hit, and all of the families involved. One of the biggest concerns is that the penalties for Driving Under the Influence have not been as strong as what it should be. Too many times in the past you will read or hear about someone being arrested for DUI and they either get a fine and no sentence or a very minimal sentence. Fortunately, the positive part of this issue is that throughout the years, the awareness as to the dangers of drunk driving are becoming more prevalent. Especially because of social media and the advancement of technology. It used to be that if you were …show more content…
I don 't know of too many people that are not aware of the wonderful program MADD (Mother 's Against Drunk Driving). For many of them, they have personally lost a loved one to drunk driving. They have been key to getting the word out as well as having the backing and support of the Government and the crackdown of stronger penalties for DUI offenders. They are instrumental in making sure that they work to get bills passed. As stated in the 2015 Report to the Nation from Madd, “ The report also highlights federal ignition interlock grant dollars, established as part of the 2012 federal highway bill, known as MAP-21, which could be available to states that pass laws requiring all convicted drunk drivers to install interlock devices.” The article goes on to state, “ A key feature of the report is the five-star rating of each state, based on the adoption of five proven DUI countermeasures: 1) Requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers. 2) Conducting sobriety checkpoints. 3) Creating enhanced penalties for those who drive drunk with children in the vehicle. 4) Participating in “no-refusal” activities for those suspected of drunk driving. 5) Utilizing Administrative License Revocation for drunk driving …show more content…
One of the big problems that is also out there is that many don 't feel that the issue of DUI penalties can be tackled effectively and consistently. For example, in Colorado for your first DUI offense you lose your license for 3 months. However, in other states you can lose your license as little as 2 days up to 1 year. The penalties of not only losing your license differ, but also the level of Blood Alcohol content that you are charged with your DUI. In my opinion, this is wrong in many different ways and I agree with the June 2015 statement from the Governors Highway Safety Association when they stated, “All states define driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08 percent as a crime, but specific laws and penalties vary substantially from state to state.” Having much stricter laws and penalties in place that each state is consistent with seems logical for everyone to know what they are dealing with. Especially when a person in one state could be given a DUI for their 2nd offense and face a huge penalty, while another person in a different state could be given a DUI and a smaller penalty for their 4th DUI. In February of this year, Governor Hickenlooper worked with the House and Senate to try to pass the Felony DUI bill and even though I don 't agree that a person should be allowed to have four drunk driving offenses, it was at least a start. The article in the Denver Post stated, “ The bipartisan legislation
Drunk driving has been and continues to be an extremely serious issue. It affects so many in different ways, from the drunk driver, the person they hit, and all of the families involved. One of the biggest concerns is that the penalties for Driving Under the Influence have not been as strong as what it should be. Too many times in the past you will read or hear about someone being arrested for DUI and they either get a fine and no sentence or a very minimal sentence. Fortunately, the positive part of this issue is that throughout the years, the awareness as to the dangers of drunk driving are becoming more prevalent. Especially because of social media and the advancement of technology. It used to be that if you were …show more content…
I don 't know of too many people that are not aware of the wonderful program MADD (Mother 's Against Drunk Driving). For many of them, they have personally lost a loved one to drunk driving. They have been key to getting the word out as well as having the backing and support of the Government and the crackdown of stronger penalties for DUI offenders. They are instrumental in making sure that they work to get bills passed. As stated in the 2015 Report to the Nation from Madd, “ The report also highlights federal ignition interlock grant dollars, established as part of the 2012 federal highway bill, known as MAP-21, which could be available to states that pass laws requiring all convicted drunk drivers to install interlock devices.” The article goes on to state, “ A key feature of the report is the five-star rating of each state, based on the adoption of five proven DUI countermeasures: 1) Requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers. 2) Conducting sobriety checkpoints. 3) Creating enhanced penalties for those who drive drunk with children in the vehicle. 4) Participating in “no-refusal” activities for those suspected of drunk driving. 5) Utilizing Administrative License Revocation for drunk driving …show more content…
One of the big problems that is also out there is that many don 't feel that the issue of DUI penalties can be tackled effectively and consistently. For example, in Colorado for your first DUI offense you lose your license for 3 months. However, in other states you can lose your license as little as 2 days up to 1 year. The penalties of not only losing your license differ, but also the level of Blood Alcohol content that you are charged with your DUI. In my opinion, this is wrong in many different ways and I agree with the June 2015 statement from the Governors Highway Safety Association when they stated, “All states define driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08 percent as a crime, but specific laws and penalties vary substantially from state to state.” Having much stricter laws and penalties in place that each state is consistent with seems logical for everyone to know what they are dealing with. Especially when a person in one state could be given a DUI for their 2nd offense and face a huge penalty, while another person in a different state could be given a DUI and a smaller penalty for their 4th DUI. In February of this year, Governor Hickenlooper worked with the House and Senate to try to pass the Felony DUI bill and even though I don 't agree that a person should be allowed to have four drunk driving offenses, it was at least a start. The article in the Denver Post stated, “ The bipartisan legislation