Drunk Driving on LI (New York, York: crimes, house, high school)

[Interlude]

Originally Posted by WIHS2006

Some ideas to prevent drunk driving:

- mandatory loss of driver's license for life on the second offense - Germany takes away your license for life on the first offense

- more checkpoints - especially where each and every driver is checked and more checkpoints on major roads instead of the side streets.

- charge drunk drivers in cases where victims were killed with murder and make them eligible for the death penalty. They chose to drink and drive knowing fully that they could kill/injure someone so therefore they can face the ultimate punishment if they do so.

Thank you for the ideas. Perhaps we should just give the cops permission to shoot people in the face right on the scene if they're drunk, I'm sure that would help even more. Also, may as well kill their families too since these lousy drunks probably don't care about their own lives.

Ahm, back to reality.

The notion that severe penalties can deter drunk drivers has some validity. However, that deterrence often lasts no longer than the length of the punishment. The individuals who personify the public's image of a drunk driver are not typically swayed by "get tough" laws. However, a responsible, social drinker, apprehended in a "sobriety checkpoint," could well find himself facing license revocation, jail time, five years of horrendous insurance surcharges, and possibly the loss of his job. It happens every single day to people who have hurt no one and who are not a threat to anyone's well-being.

Draconian penalties are promoted by persons who are primarily interested in an overall assault on the use of alcohol, or are motivated by revenge. Developing solutions to the complicated problem of drunk driving and the resulting tragedies is not one of their priorities.

(Note: Stolen from DUI/DWI Laws - Information, Studies, Articles - if you have any interest in this topic, I strongly suggest you read this page).

By the way, we don't have the death penalty in NY anymore, go back to Texas with your government-sponsored murder.

[AndreaII]

[quote=Interlude;9029798] It happens every single day to people who have hurt no one and who are not a threat to anyone's well-being.

They haven't hurt or killed anyone YET.

How many times have you gotten behind the wheel after drinking? Plenty, I'll bet.

[LongIslandCitizen]

Originally Posted by Interlude

Thank you for the ideas. Perhaps we should just give the cops permission to shoot people in the face right on the scene if they're drunk, I'm sure that would help even more. Also, may as well kill their families too since these lousy drunks probably don't care about their own lives.

Ahm, back to reality.

The notion that severe penalties can deter drunk drivers has some validity. However, that deterrence often lasts no longer than the length of the punishment. The individuals who personify the public's image of a drunk driver are not typically swayed by "get tough" laws. However, a responsible, social drinker, apprehended in a "sobriety checkpoint," could well find himself facing license revocation, jail time, five years of horrendous insurance surcharges, and possibly the loss of his job. It happens every single day to people who have hurt no one and who are not a threat to anyone's well-being.

Draconian penalties are promoted by persons who are primarily interested in an overall assault on the use of alcohol, or are motivated by revenge. Developing solutions to the complicated problem of drunk driving and the resulting tragedies is not one of their priorities.

(Note: Stolen from DUI/DWI Laws - Information, Studies, Articles - if you have any interest in this topic, I strongly suggest you read this page).

By the way, we don't have the death penalty in NY anymore, go back to Texas with your government-sponsored murder.

spoken like a true alcoholic

[Interlude]

Dumb comments from people who clearly can't debate the issues only make me more confident in my positions.

I'm actually interested in solving the problem rather than jerking my knees one way or the other. The methods we use aren't working and it's time to do something about it rather than propose dumb legislation. I mean seriously, the death penalty? Give me a break. We don't even execute serial killers in New York.

[WIHS2006]

Originally Posted by Interlude

Dumb comments from people who clearly can't debate the issues only make me more confident in my positions.

I'm actually interested in solving the problem rather than jerking my knees one way or the other. The methods we use aren't working and it's time to do something about it rather than propose dumb legislation. I mean seriously, the death penalty? Give me a break. We don't even execute serial killers in New York.

Just because you think it's ok to drive drunk and kill and maim innocent people dosent mean it's right. The methods we use arent working? Ok that's true and ignoring it or legalizing it in the typical liberal fashion is no better.

How DO we solve the problem? Step off your high horse and educate me.

[ResearchMom]

Originally Posted by WIHS2006

Some ideas to prevent drunk driving:

- mandatory loss of driver's license for life on the second offense - Germany takes away your license for life on the first offense

Solution: Move to Germany. We are ;-)

Reality: You can't stop people from drinking and driving. Just like we can not convince people to eat healthy to avoid cancer, which is mostly caused by our lifestyle, not genes.

I bet if God himself were to come down to earth and say "don't drink and drive", even that wouldn't help

[NHP Guy]

All I know is that the law as well as MADD should wake up and call it more equitably. In general, drunk driving shouldn't be prosecuted any more aggressively than drivers that are texting, talking on phones, applying their makeup or just driving like a (sober) reckless maniac. The bottom line is that you're a danger on the roads in all of those cases; no need to get into the reasons so long as they are willfully chosen by the driver.

[Peter B]

Long Island can do a lot more than they do to prevent drunk driving. Up in Quebec, every bar has a machine near the exit where you can grab a straw and blow and instantly see what your BAC level is. I'd hazard a guess that bar and restaurant owners on LI would fight such a requirement because it may put a dent in their bottom line, which is probably true given the mentality on LI and metro NYC. I had a DWI 25 years ago in Island Park and that scared me straight. Fell asleep at the wheel and drove into a 30yd container. I still love to tie one on but I only do so when the only thing I need to find is my bedroom. When we go out, one or two drinks. Anything more, it's obviously not worth it.

[anotherNYer]

Although I am aware this would not eliminate dwi's, we are the one state that still has bars open at 4 am!! I knew someone very well who owned a bar in the 80's and 90's and that bar was still going strong at 5-6 am in the morning. BELIEVE me it goes on all the time especially in busy towns like Huntington. No wonder people are on their way to work and in danger of being hurt by a drunk driver. In Connecticut one o'clock comes and all bets are off--everyone is out of the bar. In addition, in NY if you are having problems with an unruly customer and you call the cops, chances are the bar is written up and fines are enforced. In Connecticut if you have a problem, the cops are summoned and the person is led out of the bar. No fines or harrassement to bar owner. Many owners do not want to be involved in a dispute. Time to close bars down at a reasonable hour and enforce no tolerance. Again, sometimes bottom line wins out.

[sirtiger]

served nassau county grand jury duty a yr ago for month. we heard 87 cases in that month. I would say about 75% of all our cases were all drunk driving cases.

A majority of them were not your regular run of the mill social drinker or just had one beer too many. That same majority deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law imo