Your thoughts: DUI drugs/alcohol, bad wreck...consequences

[fenceman]

Depending on who's survey you look at. Speeding ,fatigued and distracted driving cause as many deaths as drunk driving.
I believe that they should throw the book and anyone dui zero tolerance, but how does everyone feel about texting , eating, and speeding. The person eating breakfast and speeding to get to work on time is endangering everyone on the road. They could have just gotten outta bed a little earlier . It's kind of a pet peeve of mine. I feel anyone driving 10mph over the speed limit ought to get a night in the clink along with the ticket.

 

[W.T]

HANG UM ALL

 

[gimpyrancher]

Perhaps we should pepper the discussion with a Poll.

The crime is really about drunk driving, right? Or are we only attacking the drunks that got caught because of a crash?

How many of us have EVER driven drunk? Now ask yourself if you feel you should be behind bars for the rest of your life.

Just a thought.

 

[W.T]

There are very few people on this board if any that haven't drove a vehicle while under the influence. There are two kinds of people those that have and then those that lie about it. I choose not to lie about it, in my youth I made some poor decisions. As many of us did. Some of us just never got caught.

 

[fenceman]

I'm not scared of a hard question.
Yes I have
I was pretty wild as a youngster, thank god nobody ever got hurt and I never got in any real trouble. Times were different then .
Dui is one area where this country has moved in the right direction. When I was in high school and I'm younger than most here. If the police caught us with beer they would make us pour it out, call our dad's and send us home.
We've learned to do better.
Dui is about as careless, reckless and dangerous thing a person can do. You can destroy family's so incredibly easy. The laws need to be harsh enough so people don't even consider it. And I'm not one to campaign for more laws at all. For the most part if people pay their way and are not endangering anyone else, I don't care what they do. But a vehicle is a big responsibility and once you pull it onto public roads , it's a serious matter.
I drink a little beer, but you won't find anyone who's seen me drinking off my property.
I won't open a beer until the gates shut for the day.

 

[dun]

Perhaps we should pepper the discussion with a Poll.

The crime is really about drunk driving, right? Or are we only attacking the drunks that got caught because of a crash?

How many of us have EVER driven drunk? Now ask yourself if you feel you should be behind bars for the rest of your life.

Just a thought.

Good question

 

[ez14]

There are very few people on this board if any that haven't drove a vehicle while under the influence. There are two kinds of people those that have and then those that lie about it. I choose not to lie about it, in my youth I made some poor decisions. As many of us did. Some of us just never got caught.

I haven`t . But im only 15 so if i had my dad would have killed me. Fenceman if i got caught with beer with me and driving id tell the policeman he could do any thing to me as long as he didnt tell my dad

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Good question, Gimpy, and not afraid to discuss it. The root of the charge is drunk driving -- but it killed people. I'm in my senior years now, so I think I'm smarter than I was in my 20's and 30's, when -- if I questioned myself about "drive or not drive" after an evening out and feeling buzzed -- I figured if I even asked the question to self, then I must be OK to drive. Quasi-guardian angels must have saved me from citations or accidents! Now, I pay more attention to the consequences of my actions in every corner of life. A night out that includes a big meal -- nope, I don't drive if more than one glass of wine. Period. I just don't. Unless that commercial driver has a history of DUIs, he won't spend the rest of his life in jail, which won't appease the victims' families. He might get 10 years; that might go down to 5 years and probation time. There might be big civil suits, and some insurance company will pay for the "pound of flesh," but that won't bring those people back.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

There are very few people on this board if any that haven't drove a vehicle while under the influence. There are two kinds of people those that have and then those that lie about it. I choose not to lie about it, in my youth I made some poor decisions. As many of us did. Some of us just never got caught.

I haven`t . But im only 15 so if i had my dad would have killed me. Fanceman if i got caught with beer with me and driving id tell the policeman he could do any thing to me as long as he didnt tell my dad

Your dad would find out!

 

[W.T]

There are very few people on this board if any that haven't drove a vehicle while under the influence. There are two kinds of people those that have and then those that lie about it. I choose not to lie about it, in my youth I made some poor decisions. As many of us did. Some of us just never got caught.

I haven`t . But im only 15 so if i had my dad would have killed me. Fenceman if i got caught with beer with me and driving id tell the policeman he could do any thing to me as long as he didnt tell my dad

Good for you. You should be proud of yourself for that. Its far to easy to follow the crowd than to walk to your own beat. Keep walking. And you will be far better off.

 

[ez14]

There are very few people on this board if any that haven't drove a vehicle while under the influence. There are two kinds of people those that have and then those that lie about it. I choose not to lie about it, in my youth I made some poor decisions. As many of us did. Some of us just never got caught.

I haven`t . But im only 15 so if i had my dad would have killed me. Fanceman if i got caught with beer with me and driving id tell the policeman he could do any thing to me as long as he didnt tell my dad

Your dad would find out!

I know and it wouldnt be good for me.

 

[ez14]

There are very few people on this board if any that haven't drove a vehicle while under the influence. There are two kinds of people those that have and then those that lie about it. I choose not to lie about it, in my youth I made some poor decisions. As many of us did. Some of us just never got caught.

I haven`t . But im only 15 so if i had my dad would have killed me. Fenceman if i got caught with beer with me and driving id tell the policeman he could do any thing to me as long as he didnt tell my dad

Good for you. You should be proud of yourself for that. Its far to easy to follow the crowd than to walk to your own beat. Keep walking. And you will be far better off.

I dont have enough time to get in to much trouble i got school and work. Like yesterday i worked 12 1/2 hours i wasnt thinking of getting in trouble the only thing i was thinking of was sleep

 

[Nesikep]

I've driven drunk once, got pulled over, and apparently the cop couldn't tell I was sloshed, he just wanted to check my insurance and that I had a drivers license.. nevertheless, I never drove drunk again.

Once a week I go to town and play darts, I have a pint of beer over the course of an hour or two (I drink very slowly), and then I sit around and mooch Wifi for a couple hours before I drive home. I'm positive I'd be well under any 'legal limit' and I don't feel the least bit impaired or woozy when I do drive.
I also agree that with the advent of cell phones, distracted driving has become a VERY big concern.. most of the time it's people not noticing the light has turned green and they hold up traffic while texting, but some others don't notice it turned red, which is a far more hazardous problem.
I'd like to see much stiffer penalties and ACTIVE enforcement for failing to signal, weaving in traffic, cutting people off, and otherwise being a general retard.

I beg to differ with the ever popular slogan "Speed kills".. speed is rarely the root cause of an accident.. it's usually coupled with one of my aforementioned infractions. Around here they design freeways with 6 lanes, each about 10 feet wide, no on or offramps, and they set artificially low speed limits.. 55mph/90kph... it's just retarded.. I'm OK with sensible 30mph speeds in the cities and towns.. Major roads perhaps 40mph.. and 20mph school zones... But once you have a wide open freeway, I don't see the problem with 75mph travel speeds.

 

[dun]

I've driven drunk once, got pulled over, and apparently the cop couldn't tell I was sloshed, he just wanted to check my insurance and that I had a drivers license.. nevertheless, I never drove drunk again.

Once a week I go to town and play darts, I have a pint of beer over the course of an hour or two (I drink very slowly), and then I sit around and mooch Wifi for a couple hours before I drive home. I'm positive I'd be well under any 'legal limit' and I don't feel the least bit impaired or woozy when I do drive.
I also agree that with the advent of cell phones, distracted driving has become a VERY big concern.. most of the time it's people not noticing the light has turned green and they hold up traffic while texting, but some others don't notice it turned red, which is a far more hazardous problem.
I'd like to see much stiffer penalties and ACTIVE enforcement for failing to signal, weaving in traffic, cutting people off, and otherwise being a general retard.

I beg to differ with the ever popular slogan "Speed kills".. speed is rarely the root cause of an accident.. it's usually coupled with one of my aforementioned infractions. Around here they design freeways with 6 lanes, each about 10 feet wide, no on or offramps, and they set artificially low speed limits.. 55mph/90kph... it's just retarded.. I'm OK with sensible 30mph speeds in the cities and towns.. Major roads perhaps 40mph.. and 20mph school zones... But once you have a wide open freeway, I don't see the problem with 75mph travel speeds.

When "Tricky Dick" (nixon to the younger set) had the speed limits reduced to 55 the term "Just dicken along at 55" came into use.

 

[gimpyrancher]

My point is many of us have made the wrong choice. DUI is one charge. When it involves injury, there is a new charge. When there is a death, there is a different charge. While we all should agree that we'd like the drunk driver that killed our friend or family member would get the death penalty, perhaps that is just emotion.

My sister was put in a coma care center for about a decade. Hit by some clown driving 80-100 mph down the main street of a small city. Came around a corner and couldn't stop in time. He was an on-duty cop, not involved with a crime report or a chase. If the drunk driver deserves a murder charge, so did that cop. Drunk with alcohol or power, same problem. If you want to talk intent, then both are the same.

 

[W.T]

They certainly are.

 

[fenceman]

My point is many of us have made the wrong choice. DUI is one charge. When it involves injury, there is a new charge. When there is a death, there is a different charge. While we all should agree that we'd like the drunk driver that killed our friend or family member would get the death penalty, perhaps that is just emotion.

My sister was put in a coma care center for about a decade. Hit by some clown driving 80-100 mph down the main street of a small city. Came around a corner and couldn't stop in time. He was an on-duty cop, not involved with a crime report or a chase. If the drunk driver deserves a murder charge, so did that cop. Drunk with alcohol or power, same problem. If you want to talk intent, then both are the same.

I agree... :shock:

 

[cow pollinater]

I've driven my fare share of backroads with a beer between my legs. Then one time I drove drunk home from an event in town and woke up and thought that was one of the dumbest things I'd ever done and every since then I won't have more than one if I'm driving and I've always had a very high tolerance for alcohol. I don't ever want to put myself in the position where there would be a doubt in my mind that my my dumb decision was the factor in hurting someone else again. I doubt a court would be as hard on me as I would be on myself if I had.
The driver is certainly at fault but he's also a victim of his own choices. He's gotta live with it for the rest of his life and if he's any kind of human that will be a long stiff sentence.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

My point is many of us have made the wrong choice. DUI is one charge. When it involves injury, there is a new charge. When there is a death, there is a different charge. While we all should agree that we'd like the drunk driver that killed our friend or family member would get the death penalty, perhaps that is just emotion.

My sister was put in a coma care center for about a decade. Hit by some clown driving 80-100 mph down the main street of a small city. Came around a corner and couldn't stop in time. He was an on-duty cop, not involved with a crime report or a chase. If the drunk driver deserves a murder charge, so did that cop. Drunk with alcohol or power, same problem. If you want to talk intent, then both are the same.

Oh, that was a tragic happening, Gimpy!

 

[JMJ Farms]

Everyone knows that DUI is a crime. When you knowingly consume alcohol or any substance that impairs your judgement or reaction time and then get behind the wheel of a vehicle on a public road.... That's intent in my book. Intent to do what you please rather than abide by the law. If, in this process, you injure or kill someone with your vehicle then you should be charged with murder. It's no different than if you kill someone with a gun. There's no excuse for it and their should be no tolerance. No need for a trial. If you are DUI then you are guilty. I feel the same about texting, speeding, or anything else that a driver knowingly does that impairs, distracts, slows reaction time, etc. I can sum it up in one word. SELFISHNESS. No concern for anyone other than oneself.

I'd also be in favor of letting a drunk driver have the option to be put in a car like the victim was in, and being slammed with a wrecking ball traveling at the same speed the DUI driver was driving at, with the wrecking ball striking the car at the same place the victims car was struck. Sort of a "reenactment". You know kinda like an eye for an eye.