Is 60 Seconds Worth Someone's Life? July 2, 2005 the Flynn family changed forever. After her aunt’s wedding, 7-year-old Katie Flynn headed home along with her parents, sister, and her grandparents in a limousine. CNN reported that this happy day full of celebration and love changed in the blink of an eye. A drunk 24-year-old, Martin Heidgen, whose blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit, hit the limo carrying the Flynn family head-on. Heidgen was driving 70 mph down the wrong lane of the highway when he hit the Flynn family. The driver of the limousine, Stanley Rabinowitz, was killed instantly. Katie’s father suffered a broken back, her sister Grace was left trapped inside the car, and her grandparents were both severely
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Logically, the answer to stop drunk driving accidents would be to not drink and drive and to think of the possibly deadly consequences. Sadly, not enough people realize this and are not caught. People don’t think they will be caught. After people have successfully done it once, people aren’t scared and figure they were safe and won’t be caught. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation people drive drunk or under the influence about 80 times before they are caught. How can we catch more drunk drivers and save lives? I would like to make a case for sobriety checkpoints. Sobriety checkpoints are stations set up where law enforcement officials check drivers for possible signs of impairment and intoxication. Vehicles are stopped in a certain pattern, such as every fourth vehicle or every other vehicle. These checkpoints can be accomplished with three to five officers. The CDC found that these checkpoints can reduce alcohol related crashes and fatalities by 18-24 …show more content…
What if he was caught before he hurt anyone? Two people would still be alive, and he would have continued his life and pursued his career without the grief and spending years in jail. The family of Katie Flynn could have still been the tight-knit family they once were. So many people would not have had so much emotional and physical pain. People claim there isn’t a reason they are stopped at these checkpoints and that they shouldn’t be. But there IS a reason. A VALID reason. Too many families lose their loved ones each year or suffer lifelong injuries. These drivers who cause the crashes could have gone on with their lives and not live with the fact that they ruined so many others’. So many “ifs”. But it’s enough to pull someone over for just 60 seconds. Sixty seconds of a law official asking just a few questions such as, “have you been drinking tonight?”or “Where are you headed tonight?”.. Law abiding citizens can go on their way and those who do make the decision to drink and drive can be caught before they ruin someone’s life. Nobody wants to be involved in or cause someone to die in a way that easily could have been prevented. Currently, 38 of our 50 states conduct these sobriety checks, however 12 states including Iowa, do not. Ten out of the twelve states prohibit them because they interpret them to violate the United States Constitution or their own state laws and constitution. Two states are silent
Logically, the answer to stop drunk driving accidents would be to not drink and drive and to think of the possibly deadly consequences. Sadly, not enough people realize this and are not caught. People don’t think they will be caught. After people have successfully done it once, people aren’t scared and figure they were safe and won’t be caught. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation people drive drunk or under the influence about 80 times before they are caught. How can we catch more drunk drivers and save lives? I would like to make a case for sobriety checkpoints. Sobriety checkpoints are stations set up where law enforcement officials check drivers for possible signs of impairment and intoxication. Vehicles are stopped in a certain pattern, such as every fourth vehicle or every other vehicle. These checkpoints can be accomplished with three to five officers. The CDC found that these checkpoints can reduce alcohol related crashes and fatalities by 18-24 …show more content…
What if he was caught before he hurt anyone? Two people would still be alive, and he would have continued his life and pursued his career without the grief and spending years in jail. The family of Katie Flynn could have still been the tight-knit family they once were. So many people would not have had so much emotional and physical pain. People claim there isn’t a reason they are stopped at these checkpoints and that they shouldn’t be. But there IS a reason. A VALID reason. Too many families lose their loved ones each year or suffer lifelong injuries. These drivers who cause the crashes could have gone on with their lives and not live with the fact that they ruined so many others’. So many “ifs”. But it’s enough to pull someone over for just 60 seconds. Sixty seconds of a law official asking just a few questions such as, “have you been drinking tonight?”or “Where are you headed tonight?”.. Law abiding citizens can go on their way and those who do make the decision to drink and drive can be caught before they ruin someone’s life. Nobody wants to be involved in or cause someone to die in a way that easily could have been prevented. Currently, 38 of our 50 states conduct these sobriety checks, however 12 states including Iowa, do not. Ten out of the twelve states prohibit them because they interpret them to violate the United States Constitution or their own state laws and constitution. Two states are silent