Sunday, 30 August 2015

DUI


I read an article yesterday about drunk drivers in the US. One State, instead of removing the driving licence, was enforcing mandatory sobriety, by making offenders take a breathalyzer test twice a day. Should the offender fail the test - off to jail they go and/or lose their Driving Licence (and I should have saved the link, sorry)

Of course this raises all sort of arguments about civil liberties, but the article went on to say that a over 25% of the offenders, once the 'sentence" was completed, chose to live a sober life (at least for some time).

When I moved to Canada, about twelve years ago, I was shocked that most people seemed to disregard the Drunk Driving laws. I moved to a small mill town in the middle of Vancouver Island ( guess away) and Drunk Driving was practically a sport.

There were a few road blocks around Christmas time and  statutory holidays, but in the main, people would take 'a chance" and get behind the wheel after they had a few.

As my drinking increased, I got very organized (I think one of you lovely people referred to it as Wine Management 101). I always made sure that I had plenty of wine, so I would never be tempted to drive, even as all reason and common sense left me.

Well that was the theory.

I have never been caught driving over the limit, and I have never had an accident.

Only by the best luck ever.

I have definitely driven while under the influence of alcohol, I am very ashamed to admit.

I wondered what would have happened if I had been caught and sentenced to mandatory sobriety.

I hope that I would have been so ashamed of myself that I never touched another drop. I hope that I would be thankful for a second chance. I hope that I would have eventually embraced the sober life, even after the "sentence" was lifted.

I hope this experiment is successful.



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6 comments:

  1. jaded831 August 2015 at 04:49

    very interesting! i hope it's successful, too. here's one article on it, looks like multiple states are using the idea to a certain extent (not sure how to make link live)

    http://www.adn.com/article/20140104/state-intoxication-daily-breathalyzer-be-used-statewide

    ah, here's a website with more info....

    http://www.rand.org/health/projects/24-7.html

    anyway---thanks :) i know this would work on me, for sure!!!!
    jaded
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jackie31 August 2015 at 07:45

      Thanks Jaded. I will be interested to see if they try similar experiments in Canada.

      Delete
  2. High Style2 September 2015 at 01:29

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  3. Leticia Holt21 June 2016 at 21:30

    Drunk driving is on my list of one of the worst crimes a person can commit. It is a very selfish crime and there can be no justification for it. Mandatory sobriety for drunk drivers sounds like a good idea to me, if they are that irresponsible, they deserve it.

    Leticia Holt @ KHunter Law

    ReplyDelete
  4. Eliseo Weinstein16 August 2016 at 03:13

    I recently read an alarming stat that most people drive drunk 80 times before they are caught and issued a DUI summons. I had no idea so many people played this game, and luckily I’ve never had to come in contact with one. I think the downside far outweighs the cost of a cab. That is just my two cents.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Stephanie Waters6 September 2016 at 19:42

    I hope this experiment is successful, too. I bet you’re grateful that you never got in an accident when you were driving after drinking. That one night and bad decision could have negatively impacted you for the rest of your life. I am curious too to see how this all plays out in the future as more people get involved.

    Stephanie Waters @ Chastaine Law

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