DWI penalty, your opinion?

Question

If somebody is caught driving drunk, Take the car, give thim a ride home and KEEP the car. They won't do it again. How many 2,3,4,or more repeat DWI's have you seen. There are more people killed by drunk drivers in a month than have been killed in IRAQ in four years...No if's and's, or but's, Take the car and the police can sell it and use the money as needed, they do it with Drug confications, why not DWI's. If its Dad's car, Jr won't get the next one...If its a rental, you won't be able to rent another...You pay for another car, you learn a lesson, you get a ticket, a fine, you do it again.... Nuf said

Answer 1

I tend to agree with you on this one. Several years ago I lost a friend, and her 10 yr. old nephew to a drunk driver. Not fun at all to go to a double funeral, let alone any funeral. Please, I ask you to pass this point of view of yours to your state's legislature-before the session is over this year. In fact, if you could, please share it with every Governor, and state legislature in our country possible. It would be greatly appreciated. These people who have DWI-DUI (driving under the influence-of any drug, etc.) need to learn not to do this. They need to be far more responsible than they have been. Either stay home when under the influence, or have a designated sober driver. Thanks for your ideas. Take care.

Answer 2

Although I am sympathetic to what you are saying, I have a real problem with laws that allow the police to confiscate property without due process.

Be careful about the drunk driving stats, too. They tend to be deceiving. For instance many of the stats are "alcohol related". That simply means that alcohol was a factor. Even such things as a drunk pedestrian wandering on highway can cause an alcohol related fatality.

I think the laws are fine now for the normal people who may have one too many once in his life. But I agree that more needs to be done with recidivists. People who have multiple DWI convictions should be considered a menace and at some point removed from society. I saw one of those police pursuit shows the other day. The car they were after was driven by a woman with 17 drunk driving convictions.

Answer 3

Drug Confications are confiscated by the police for 1-possession of drugs or paraphenial is illegal and doesn't take sense to let them keep something illegal and 2. needed in court as evidence while with DWI-the blood alocohol level and the obvious under the influence condition of the person is is all thats required to prove DWI in court anmd would be OK to take car if the car belonged to the offender and no one else would be forced into hardship if car were to be confiscated. A lot of times theres a wife or girlfriend who shares the car to get to work and not having the car would put a innocnt person into life hardship situations and besides a wife/girlfriend there are also often children and again innocents would suffer.The car does not always belong to the offender so it would not be legal to take the car by the authorities nor fair to all the others involved in the use of the car and so on.

Answer 4

if the car is the property of someone else, then rightfully, it should go back to that owner. but maybe a new sort of insurance is in order for those that have family members that drink and drive. as well as jail sentences. as well as, even better, booting him out of the house or taking his keys from him.

else, i am in total agreement with you. why not seize the car? the drunk that just killed a family is usually unharmed, so why not sell the car and give the proceeds to the dead or injured family.

what should really change, though, is that the taxes on alcohol should skyrocket the way they have for tobacco products. at least smokers cannot smoke so much that they lose control of the wheel. isn't it a little to cheap, a little too easy, to drive home, stop off at a few bars, have a few at one bar, jump into the car, go to the next bar, drink a few more, then go on and do that until you are unconscious? if the taxes were raised way, way, way up, then it just would be too expensive to drink.

another thing: i don't care what "studies" show about concentration/memory loss: marijuana, which i haven't smoked in about 40 years, is a safe substance that should be legal and should be taxed to death too. nobody that smokes a joint gets into a car and gets into accidents. for some reason, the stuff doesn't cause them to lose it, but booze does. so, they can go to pot dens, pay taxes to smoke, pay more taxes on munchy foods, and then drive slowly, ever so carefully and slowly, home.

Answer 5

That would work but only if the drunk driver was also forced to pay any remaining loan on the car at the time it was seized in full before being allowed to get another car loan. To make that work, this loan would have to be not eligible for inclusion in a bankruptcy. I read last year of some European country (perhaps Finland) where DWI is automatic one year in jail first time, five years second time and lifetime loss of license. I like that one too.

Answer 6

They should be stronger and tougher on these ignorant fools that think it can't happen to them. You know in a way they are right, it usually happens to the innocent Mother or Father of 5 that just ran to the store to grab a gallon of milk and piece of candy for the little ones.... Disgraceful... I think plus their Jail time or whatever other fines are imposed on them, they should be made to pay restitution to the family for the rest of their lives... a picture should be hung in their living room of the family they killed, so they could see it everyday as a reminder of there foolishness....

Answer 7

i also agree with you remember also tho a coviction is only saying how many times they got caught,. Also regarding fines . dollar amount for you may hurt you but for others it may be what they would spend in one nite. this is law that everry one is aware of . So no excuse..

Answer 8

if ur as much of a dumbazz to drive your car and endangering everyones life around you, then all penalties are right. heres a thought, toll your car to ur house and call a cab...what? no money? dont waste it all getting drunk then!!! i hate alcoholics, my neighbor is one and he ran over our telephone wire box like a hundred times. ARG!!!!

Answer 9

Confiscate their license and steering wheel. Confiscate the steering wheel of anyone who lets the offender drive their car.