The Need To Intensify Drunk Driving Prevention
In the recent years DUI offenses have shot up to levels that can not be ignored. According to reports, almost every 30 minutes someone is getting killed while in every two minutes someone suffers from an injury in a motor crash due to drunk driving. Such accidents happen because a drunk person is not able to make sane driving decisions. In fact a single drink can make the driver lose his/her ability to drive a car, timely applying the breaks, steering the vehicle and changing the lanes. He/she can not adjust to the traffic conditions on the road. All this resulted in the US Department of Transportation launching a drunk driving prevention campaign. The campaign highlighted the plight of families of a victim and has been a major factor in creating awareness about drunk driving prevention. Some organizations are also working towards drunk driving prevention. They adopt a three point approach which includes the early identification of hardcore offenders, a certain punishment to the offenders and an effective treatment.
The organizations believe that the identification of the hardcore offenders should be done as early as possible. Hard core offenders refer to offenders with .16 or higher Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). These hardcore offenders are involved in repeated alcohol abuse and intoxicated driving. It is important because the earlier they'll be stopped the easier it will be able to prevent them from any future offense. The organizations also state that the punishment should be certain for every offender. This will be more effective then a severe punishment. It is based on the facts showed by the research that a certain punishment has a more deterrent effect then a severe punishment. Another point stressed upon by these organizations is an effective treatment for the convicted offenders. It is stressed upon because no matter how harsh the punishment will be but most of the offenders tend to be involved in drunk driving again. Therefore they should be treated and a change in the behavior should be observed especially in relation to alcohol usage. The organizations also see to it that the dunk driving offenders should undergo sanction such as detention, electric monitoring, impounding or confiscating of the vehicle. They also make sure that these sanctions are connected and help in reinforcing each other. They also ensure that the offender is properly charged by appointing able prosecutors and the offenders receive a proper punishment on the bases of their records. They also see to it that the repeat offenders should be taken seriously and the offenders with higher BACs should be given graduated penalties. The attempts are bearing fruits and the reduced number of fatalities due to drunk driving is a proof that drunk driving prevention is if the society and its people consider it serious. |