Hit Drink Drivers where it hurts

Hit Drink Drivers where it hurts. Today Newspaper 16th May 2007

The author started off with her own personal experience of her driving her drunken friend home even though her friend insisted she could drive herself back. Although I am not yet of age to drink, I have heard such stories about my own relatives encountering these types of situations, as the drunk person nonetheless.

People often think that they are in control of themselves, that they are able to handle their driving properly and are not like those people who are involved in those drink driving accidents. They feel that they are special, and cannot be compared to those other “lousy drivers”. As such, whenever people to go to a pub to drink, they tend to forget, in their moment of foolishness, that they are able to drive back home safely even after downing three to four mugs of beer. These are also the people that often cause the drink driving accidents that we see in the newspapers every so often, and they often involved casualties of innocent drivers, who drank coke while their other friends downed mug after mug of beer. What is even more ridiculous is that the convicted drink drivers get away with only a meager fine and perhaps a short jail term. Is this a fair exchange? I think not. If you shatter a persons leg it could take half a year to heal, while you spend less that a quarter of that time the person agony the person has to go through in jail.

I agree with the author, that we should hit the drink drivers where it hurts them the most, which is much longer suspension of their license them to reflect on what they have done while taking the bus or the MRT. Being a student, I know what agony they will have to go through when they take one hour to reach their destination while the car could get them there in fifteen minutes. Heavier fines and a longer jail term would also serve well in deterring people from drink driving. But, I think for the best impact we would have to blow the whole event up in the media. This would cause the convicted person shame and humiliation, and would also serve the purpose of deterring many from drink driving. For example, after actor Cristopher Lee’s conviction which was so talked about in the media, how will he ever get a good role in any show again? Everyone will go “ That’s the guy who went to jail because he drunk and drove.” His reputation would be ruined and to an actor that is the most crucial factor for him to earn a living.

All in all, punishments nowadays are not sufficient to deter potential threats on the road. Heavier fines, a much longer jail term , and a longer suspension of their license should be enough to deter them from drink driving. And for those celebrities, the event should be emphasized on in the media for much greater impact. Now that, would be a fair exchange.