Monday, March 22, 2004
Bloggers Against Drunk Driving...
Hat tip to Mithras, for pointing me towards a topic of interest to me, at least. The question: Instead of taking drivers' licenses from persons convicted for the first time of drunk driving (Technically - "driving under the influence of alcohol" - you don't have to be slobbering drunk to be impaired) - we should take away their license to drink.
Proposal first made by
Mark Kleiman, supported by Atrios, and if not wholly opposed, at least criticized by Mithras. It should be noted that Kleiman suggests this as a punishment for anyone convicted of any form of being stupid under the influence.
It should also be noted that this is not changing one form of punishment for another. In my experience (and my experience is as a prosecuting attorney who handles a lot of DUI cases), people convicted of drunk driving usually spend at least some time on probation, during which they are ordered not to drink alcohol. (Usually, they have to be evaluated to see if they have a drinking problem and comply with whatever recommendations are made by the evaluator). So, basically, the judges are way ahead of these folks, and the only proposal being made is to stop suspending their drivers' licenses.
Which is a bad idea. In terms of which condition people are more likely to comply with, remember, alcoholism is an addiction, driving is not. Also, people who drink and drive are, let's not forget, dangers to the rest of us. The license suspension is done to make sure that they don't drive until we're sure they can do so without putting the rest of us in danger. Also, if it's your first offense, and if you cooperate with the officer (by which I mean providing a breath or blood sample when asked), you are almost certainly eligible for a work permit. I can't help but notice that people who are convinced of the existence of hordes of innocents whose lives were ruined by "only having two beers", tend not to mention these things.
If you choose to drive after having a drink, we let you do that here. BUT, by doing so, you assume some responsibility regarding your level of alcohol and your ability to drive. People who don't live up to that responsbility are dangers to the rest of us, and the rest of us come first. That's why they lose their driver's licenses.
Hat tip to Mithras, for pointing me towards a topic of interest to me, at least. The question: Instead of taking drivers' licenses from persons convicted for the first time of drunk driving (Technically - "driving under the influence of alcohol" - you don't have to be slobbering drunk to be impaired) - we should take away their license to drink.
Proposal first made by
Mark Kleiman, supported by Atrios, and if not wholly opposed, at least criticized by Mithras. It should be noted that Kleiman suggests this as a punishment for anyone convicted of any form of being stupid under the influence.
It should also be noted that this is not changing one form of punishment for another. In my experience (and my experience is as a prosecuting attorney who handles a lot of DUI cases), people convicted of drunk driving usually spend at least some time on probation, during which they are ordered not to drink alcohol. (Usually, they have to be evaluated to see if they have a drinking problem and comply with whatever recommendations are made by the evaluator). So, basically, the judges are way ahead of these folks, and the only proposal being made is to stop suspending their drivers' licenses.
Which is a bad idea. In terms of which condition people are more likely to comply with, remember, alcoholism is an addiction, driving is not. Also, people who drink and drive are, let's not forget, dangers to the rest of us. The license suspension is done to make sure that they don't drive until we're sure they can do so without putting the rest of us in danger. Also, if it's your first offense, and if you cooperate with the officer (by which I mean providing a breath or blood sample when asked), you are almost certainly eligible for a work permit. I can't help but notice that people who are convinced of the existence of hordes of innocents whose lives were ruined by "only having two beers", tend not to mention these things.
If you choose to drive after having a drink, we let you do that here. BUT, by doing so, you assume some responsibility regarding your level of alcohol and your ability to drive. People who don't live up to that responsbility are dangers to the rest of us, and the rest of us come first. That's why they lose their driver's licenses.
