M15-Should people who drink and cause damage or harm be given harsher sentences?

[Tane]

Should a drunk driver get harsher sentences for driving a car under influence and causing harm to someone else in the process?

If they take a persons life should they get life and should life mean life for example?

How should the drunken behavior of the British be tackled both at home and abroad?

[Nick]

Yes.

They should also be held liable to pay for damages caused.

[thinkpink38]

Should a drunk driver get harsher sentences for driving a car under influence and causing harm to someone else in the process?

No, I think the sentences are harsh enough.


If they take a persons life should they get life and should life mean life for example?

No, because their intentions wasnt to go out and kill someone. I think trying to live with the fact that they killed a person is alone something hard to live with, people learn through their mistakes.

[HollywoodBob]

Most definitely. The results of their irresponsibility, may be an "accident" but their drinking was most definitely not. :(

-HollywoodBob

[hesdead-dealwithit]

Absolutely. Anyone who drinks and drives wantonly puts both themselves, and, more importantly, others at risk. A death is a death, unintentional or not.

[la_ginny]

Yes, people who drink and drive or hurt someone should get harsher sentences. Actually, more to the point -- I think the current punishments we have in the States need to be better enforced. Right now, a first (or even second) offense DWI (driving while intoxicated) can land you in prison for a short while, or land you a slap on the wrist, depending on who know and what lawyer you have.

Too many of my college classmates had their daddy's buddy have lunch with the district judge to wriggle out of anything more than a bit of community service and a defensive driving course. And I live in a state with the loosest alcohol laws, and one of the highest rates of alcohol-related deaths. Gee, I wonder why? DWIs are not properly prosecuted, and the percentage of people who get jail time for them now compared to 10 years ago has dropped dramatically. (I actually just went to a highway safety seminar this week -- thus I'm educated and outraged).

[mirandam]

The DWI laws are not enforced enough anywhere. Although, a life sentence is too harsh in a lot of cases. It is a really sensitive subject. I guess it really should rely on what their blood alcohol level is at. I or you could have 1 glass of wine and get in an accident and kill someone too. Should we spend the rest of our life in prison for this? They have also had people tested in the morning after they had been out drinking and the levels are still high. Each case has to be carefully evaluated, because all cases are not alike. Although too many people get out of it because of knowing this one or that one. My relative is the asst. Dist. Att. in my county, but I would not expect him to give me a break if I choose to break the law. So many people have abused the system in this field time and time again and it does need to be stopped. You should not be able to get 2 or 3 dwi's. The system is far from perfect and I am not sure if they will ever be able to stop it completely.

[Wab]

They generally do.

[OrbitingElle]

Here is a link to an interesting news story about a woman charged with DUI manslaughter while she was on a bicycle:
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/16/Pasco/Cyclist_s_strange_DUI.shtml

I was glad to see that the fact that it was a bike didn't lessen the charges that were (rightfully) brought against her. Bikes are officially vehicles (in the US at least). The story goes: She was drunk, she had taken prescription pills too, and she rode her bike across a busy freeway. People had to swerve to avoid hitting her, and two people were killed in the resulting crash.

[Animagi rock!]

I definately think that drunk drivers should be punished more harshly. Too many people still see DUI as a minor offense that you can get away with with only a slap on the wrist. I think life in prison is going a bit too far, though, especially if it's a first offence. I do agree with revoking their driver's licence for life. That way they at least won't be able to do it again.

[MotherBear1975]

Heck yeah. EVERYbody knows (you can't NOT know in todays society) the potential harm that can be done by drinking and driving. If someone makes the CHOICE to drink and drive, then at least sub-conciously, they are accepting the fact that they might kill someone. I think that if someone gets killed by a drunk driver, the driver should get the chair.

[Cuthbert]

This is a topic that really gets under my skin. I have no tolerance for drunk driving, especially repeat offenders.

I think that repeat offenders should be required to be on Antabuse (disulfiram) for a lengthy period of time.

Disulfiram basically blocks the complete degradation of alcohol after you have had a drink. A person who is on Disulfiram and drinks ends up with an accumulation of acetaldehyde that causes flushing, tachycardia, diaphoresis, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, headache and chest pain. In short, they feel terrible after they take even a sip of alcohol.

It would serve them right.

[DragonBlk17]

Should a drunk driver get harsher sentences for driving a car under influence and causing harm to someone else in the process?
Yes, it's their fault that they harmed the person.

If they take a persons life should they get life and should life mean life for example?
Yes they should. They've killed a person and it's just as bad as people who aren't drunk when they kill.

[Kimmetje]

Should a drunk driver get harsher sentences for driving a car under influence and causing harm to someone else in the process?
-Well, if this person causes an actual car accident I'd say yes as it his stupidity that might cause someone else to die.

If they take a persons life should they get life and should life mean life for example?
-I'm against death penalties and stuff so I think he should go to prison his whole life and won't come out of prison in like 20 years, because of good behavior. He should go to the mental apartment after the life long punishment, like after 30 years in jail.