Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch
Personally I think that drunk drivers can be fixed without expensive jail time.
Here's my plan
First time DUI, no accident
- insurance rate triples automatically for 5 years, if your under the age of 18, You cannot be insured
Drivers license suspension for 6 months
- Car is seized for 6 months, and you pay the costs of storage
- You have to make 5 public service messages, and 5 public speaking appearances
- you have 52 public services (sweeping streets, cleaning camp toilets, etc) all while wearing a shirt that states that you are a drunk driver
First accident DUI, accident up to and including death
- you cannot be insured for 10 years, your vehicle is seized and sold
- 5 year sentence to be served in the community
- Drivers license suspended for 5 years.
- You have to make 10 public service messages and 10 public speaking engagements
- You have 5 years of community services and have to wear a shirt that reads, I drove drunk and killed a person.
- you have to meet the victims family face to face
- You have to volunteer at a rehabilitation facility or hospital and work with victims of impared drivers.
Second incident of DUI, no accident
- two year driving ban
- un-insurable for 2 years, minimum of 5x the standard insurance rate
- You cannot take a job that involves a motor vehicle
- Publice service requirements including working with drunk driving victims.
- You have to disclose your drunk driving convictions to employers.
Second incident of DUI can include accidents and death, (this is the second DUI overall)
- Permanent driving ban
- uninsurable.
- 10 year suspended sentence
- public service reaquirements, including working for advocacy groups for DUI educations and work with victims of drunk driving
- Meet with your victims
- a massive fine
- Your car is sold
- You have to wear a label that designates you as a drunk driver who hurt or killed someone when in public.
If you break the terms of the above
Automatic 5 year prison term, 10 year on second offense.
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I don't really have a problem with any of these suggestions, but I'm not sure it would reduce it much. Stiffer penalties for crimes rarely have the desired effect. If a person commits a crime they don't think about getting caught. They plan on getting away. It's just human nature. That goes double for drunk driving. Your already impaired and not thinking straight. Drunk people don't think about getting caught.
To fix the problem you need better access to alternatives and education. As has been mentioned in this thread a few times, the sheer fact that Calgary is so spread out with low density adds to the problem. Not much we can do about that. We're addicted to our vehicles, and have good reason to be.
I know in Australia it is a little less of a problem, but they are very gung ho on their checkstops. Not only are there more of them, but they have no qualms about stopping and testing every single driver causing pretty significant traffic snarls. It used to be this way anyway, haven't been there in a while. Anyway, I guess increased enforcement to increase the fear of getting caught is a possible solution, but it will come at a cost.