Over the years I have seen many drunk driving accidents.
Some were bad, while others were just fender benders.
In all these accidents however I wondered if maybe law enforcement agencies were perhaps missing something.
I mean there are literally thousands of drunk drivers arrested each and every day here in the U.
S.
Out of all these arrests, only a very small fraction face jail time, which is usually reserved only for repeat offenders.
Drunk drivers kill people.
They all know the risks they are taking when they get behind the wheel and go out for a night of drinking.
Poor planning results in them getting back behind the wheel after several alcoholic beverages, and driving back to their place of rest.
If these people invested the time they should have in proper planning, possibly bringing along extra cash for a taxi, or relying on a sober friend to drive them home, many many people in the U.
S.
would not be lying in hospital beds, or even worse a grave.
We need much more strict drunk driving punishments here in the US.
That's the only way to slow down the rate of increase, and hopefully bring more young people home each night safely.
Clearly a fine, a short time without a drivers license, and possibly a mandatory driving class is not enough to deter these criminals.
I don't know the exact numbers, however a good percentage of people arrested for DUI will get another DUI sometime in their life.
Another statistic is that the second DUi is more likely then the first to end with an automobile accident.
This means that the lack of punishment on first time offenders is not stopping these people from perhaps killing innocent victims sometime in the near future.
Something needs to be done, and be done fast.