Drunk Drivers Should Be Imprisoned on the First Offense free essay sample

Drunk Drivers Should Be Imprisoned On The First Offense Drunk Drivers accounted for 32% of all traffic fatalities last year, which amounts to someone being killed every 45 minutes by a drunk driver. The penalties for most states is just temporary suspension of driver’s licenses for up to 1 year, and to only pay associated fines accessed by the court. Usually, drunken driving offenders are back on the road driving within a year, and with the assistance of a good attorney with weeks. Although, the product of a drunken driving accident may have ended in a fatality of an innocent motorist, the offenders are usually only charged with Manslaughter if that. Several organizations have been created throughout the years to fight for tougher penalties for drunk drivers. However, the federal government needs to impose mandated harsher penalties, such as 6 months up to 1 year of prison time for first offenders, and then maybe people would think twice about drinking and driving. We will write a custom essay sample on Drunk Drivers Should Be Imprisoned on the First Offense or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Also, all states needs to impose even tougher penalties for first offenders under the age of 21, by revoking their driver’s license until the age of 25 years old. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have been tracking drunk driving related statistics since 1982, and noted at that time drunken driving accidents were lower by 26% than they were in 2009. This should automatically raise concerns for state and federal legislatures to impose new laws that severe punish offenders. Several groups has emerged that support tougher penalties as well, such as Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD), Students Against Destructive Decision (SADD), The Century Council, and Bikers Against Drunk Drivers (BADD). These groups represent victims of families that have lost a loved one in alcohol-related accidents, and is currently seeking legislature against tougher penalties for drunk drivers. These groups believe just as I, that there needs to be a congruency among all states on tougher penalties such as imprisonment or permanent revocation of license on the first offense of driving under the influence. There are several states that have less harsh penalties for drunk driving, but yet they rank the highest for drunken driving offenses. For example, California ranks the highest in the country for drunken driving offenses, and for the first offense of drinking and driving. The offender may receive 48 hours of jail time, depending on the circumstances. Also, surprisingly North Carolina currently ranks 3rd in the country for drunken driving offenses. For the first offense of drinking and driving in NC, the offender receives 1 year mandatory suspension of driving license and has to undergo substance abuse assessment and treatment. These states rank the highest due to the high volume of colleges and college students in these areas. Also, several of the areas within these states lack metro transportation systems that would allow other alternatives to drinking and driving. In my opinion, there are no valid excuses that can safely form recognition for someone drinking and driving in the first place. This is why all states including these 2 states mentioned should have congruent laws mandating harsher penalties. Currently, many states are proactively pushing legislature on a federal level to aid in decreasing the number of drunken drivers, but some state and local governments are pushing to lower the legal age of drinking from 21 years old to 18 or 19 years old. Federal legislature is being reviewed to enforce â€Å"zero tolerance laws† in all 50 states. Also, federal legislature is preparing to reauthorize the nation’s highway bill, which enforces states to enact hardcore drunk driving legislation. Therefore, allowing incentives and funding to states for enforcing tougher penalties for drunken drivers. With these reinforcements in place at the federal level hopefully we can soon win the fight against drinking and driving. In conclusion, drunken drivers need to face tougher penalties for their actions. There is no way that a life that is taken, due to someone’s poor decision to drive after intoxication can be replaced or given back. Hopefully, with the efforts of state and federal governments cracking down on offenders, and organizations such as MADD, SADD, The Century Council, and BADD pushing for tougher penalties.