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

[Dave]

I have known a couple of people who were convicted of vehicular homicide. They got about 3 or 4 years. And of course it is a felony conviction so they get everything that comes along with that (no gun ownership, no voting, etc). There is a guy up the road from me who got 7 DUI's. Number 6 and 7 came right behind each other in two neighboring counties. He did 6 months in one county jail. When they turned him loose he got to go to the other county jail for a year. He has been sober ever since. His nephew killed two people while driving drunk at the age of 16. I don't think he got any time at all. He is now about 30 and still running wild with drugs and booze.

 

[Bestoutwest]

I came from a state that has vehicular manslaughter laws. When they rolled them out there was a big 'HooRah' from everyone. First person that got convicted received about 5 years. What a joke. You cannot convict someone of 1st degree murder. There is an intent there to inflict harm on a specific individual, which would be near impossible to prove in a court of law. However, I think it should be classified as second degree murder. It's like taking a loaded gun to a robbery. You understand the consequences when doing something like. Minimum sentence should be at least a mandatory 15 years, no time off for good behavior. I bet you'd see a lot of drunk drivers disappear.

 

[Ryder]

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.

I agree with you except I think 85 rather than 75. 85 is about what the cops in S. La. drive.
You can't really put a number on what is a safe speed. Varies according to a lot of things.
But sometimes going too slow on a trip can make you bored and dull, and that is more dangerous than kicking it on up to a comfortable level.

 

[Nesikep]

If you set it at 75 a lot of people will still be going 85...

A lot of the speed limits make no sense.. we have 4 lane freeways with 50 mph max, then windy 2 lane roads at 60.

My truck seems to like to cruise at about 70 with the gearing it has.. I'm alright with that

 

[djinwa]

Appears that if you like to drink, you will excuse drunk driving. "Other ways to kill people, we've all done it, I had no choice, blah, blah, blah."

I am 56 and have drunk a half a beer in my life. Drinking is actually not necessary, yet many think it cannot be avoided.

And its stupid to say drink responsibly, since after you drink you become stupid. I'm told that's the whole idea - to lose your inhibitions. How do you set yourself up before drinking to need to drive afterwards?

It is obvious that we don't take drunk driving seriously. I've heard guys laugh about their DUI's during lunch breaks.

So yes, it would be good to treat deaths from drinking or texting as murder. How does anyone get a license without learning that drunk driving kills people? How is that different than knowing that shooting guns at people kills people?

Strange that we spend more money and effort going after guys smoking a joint in their living room, than drunks out trying to kill someone. I guess the laws are made by drunks, so drunks get it easy. Alcohol is a religion.

Also interesting how we spend trillions of dollars overseas going after supposed threats, while tens of thousands are killed here by home-grown terrorists behind the wheel.

We just don't care.

 

[dun]

Appears that if you like to drink, you will excuse drunk driving. "Other ways to kill people, we've all done it, I had no choice, blah, blah, blah."

I am 56 and have drunk a half a beer in my life. Drinking is actually not necessary, yet many think it cannot be avoided.

And its stupid to say drink responsibly, since after you drink you become stupid. I'm told that's the whole idea - to lose your inhibitions. How do you set yourself up before drinking to need to drive afterwards?

It is obvious that we don't take drunk driving seriously. I've heard guys laugh about their DUI's during lunch breaks.

So yes, it would be good to treat deaths from drinking or texting as murder. How does anyone get a license without learning that drunk driving kills people? How is that different than knowing that shooting guns at people kills people?

Strange that we spend more money and effort going after guys smoking a joint in their living room, than drunks out trying to kill someone. I guess the laws are made by drunks, so drunks get it easy. Alcohol is a religion.

Also interesting how we spend trillions of dollars overseas going after supposed threats, while tens of thousands are killed here by home-grown terrorists behind the wheel.

We just don't care.

Well Said!

 

[wv mud river]

yes , like the super bowl ad .woman sitting in a restaurant talking about the dangers of drinking and driving. and then picks up a beer . I did not get that

 

[Bestoutwest]

And its stupid to say drink responsibly, since after you drink you become stupid. I'm told that's the whole idea - to lose your inhibitions. How do you set yourself up before drinking to need to drive afterwards?


Also interesting how we spend trillions of dollars overseas going after supposed threats, while tens of thousands are killed here by home-grown terrorists behind the wheel.

We just don't care.

1) You can drink responsibly. If I have one glass of wine, one beer, mixed drink, with a meal, I'm not going to feel any ill effect. I drink b/c I like the taste. There is nothing like a really nice wine on a warm summer's night. I don't get wasted, bombed, trashed, etc. anymore. I used to in college b/c, well, I was a kid being a kid and having fun.

2) It's true that we don't care. But why doesn't the government not care? Because it's not in their back yard. The second some senator's kid gets killed, there will be zero tolerance for drinking and driving. Until then we'll just have to dodge those idiots. It seems like the only ways laws are changed is when something happens to some kid of someone in Washington.

 

[boondocks]

If any of you have kids who are young drivers, or will be, or if you know anyone who tries to text and drive, or even if you just enjoy a good film: I have mentioned it before, I think, but I really would very highly recommend this short documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk1vCqfYpos

It's about a half hour of different stories. One of the most powerful things I've ever watched.

 

[Nesikep]

Bestoutwest, I'm with you.. I used to get sloshed, it's been over a decade since I quit that... Sure don't miss the hangovers.
djinwa, I totally agree with you, a few people smoking some weed is of minimal consequence to society (driving stoned also carries an impaired charge, and I'm OK with that).. Priorities are really messed up...

I have a beef with casinos popping up everywhere, and gambling in general, and the BC lottery corporation (gov't) OK's all this stuff, advertises the heck out of it, and then put's the disclaimer "Gamble responsibly".. My ex girlfriends brother was a gambling addict at 24 years old, a typically fiscally prudent guy who saved money and bought himself a few nice things suddenly was broke...

 

[Cattleman21]

Intentional Homicide The act of knowing or the intentional act of committing a crime. Rape, Robbery, Murder.

Vehicular Homicide. The same as above, only with the use of a vehicle as a weapon.
Premeditated Murder is the same as intentional homicide.

As for drunk driving, i agree too many States are too lenient on their stands against drunk driving. Wife, and i lost 2 year old daughter to a drunk driver in 1979. The offender received 15 years, as his lawyer plea bargained it down to 7 years.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I can't imagine your loss Cattleman21, I'm sorry and take care.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Intentional Homicide The act of knowing or the intentional act of committing a crime. Rape, Robbery, Murder.

Vehicular Homicide. The same as above, only with the use of a vehicle as a weapon.
Premeditated Murder is the same as intentional homicide.

As for drunk driving, i agree too many States are too lenient on their stands against drunk driving. Wife, and i lost 2 year old daughter to a drunk driver in 1979. The offender received 15 years, as his lawyer plea bargained it down to 7 years.

That is horrible.
I most likely would have committed the second wrong at that time in my life when he got out.
Stapled his nuts to a stump and skinned him alive with an oyster shell.

 

[ez14]

Intentional Homicide The act of knowing or the intentional act of committing a crime. Rape, Robbery, Murder.

Vehicular Homicide. The same as above, only with the use of a vehicle as a weapon.
Premeditated Murder is the same as intentional homicide.

As for drunk driving, i agree too many States are too lenient on their stands against drunk driving. Wife, and i lost 2 year old daughter to a drunk driver in 1979. The offender received 15 years, as his lawyer plea bargained it down to 7 years.

That is horrible.
I most likely would have committed the second wrong at that time in my life when he got out.
Stapled his nuts to a stump and skinned him alive with an oyster shell.

Oyster shell interesting weapon of choice :nod:

 

[BarbG]

Thankfully the spoiled kid in Texas was just moved to adult jail now that he's 18 and hopefully justice will prevail and he'll go to prison. Which is where he should have been in the first place.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Thankfully the spoiled kid in Texas was just moved to adult jail now that he's 18 and hopefully justice will prevail and he'll go to prison. Which is where he should have been in the first place.

Agreed! But as a juvenile, he wouldn't have gone to prison.

 

[BarbG]

True. But anything besides what he got would have been better. I'm wondering if they're going to charge his mother with anything.

 

[dun]

True. But anything besides what he got would have been better. I'm wondering if they're going to charge his mother with anything.

I sure hope they do!

 

[Caustic Burno]

Thankfully the spoiled kid in Texas was just moved to adult jail now that he's 18 and hopefully justice will prevail and he'll go to prison. Which is where he should have been in the first place.

Agreed! But as a juvenile, he wouldn't have gone to prison.

They could have tried him as an adult the first time.
I like to see that judges bank records or they had a picture of the judge on a golf course
screwin a goat.

 

[gimpyrancher]

True. But anything besides what he got would have been better. I'm wondering if they're going to charge his mother with anything.

The charges against Mom are likely to be far more severe than her kids. He was under 18 at the time of his crime.