I'm outraged - simply outraged.
My husband's friend's dad was crossing the street and was hit by a drunk driver. He was thrown 30 feet from the impact and the driver left the scene. Thankfully there were witnesses that got the license plate number. The dad (in his 60's) was put into a coma because of the swelling on his brain. After a couple weeks, they slowly pulled him out of the coma but he had significant brain damage. He never fully came out and back to normal. He passed away last night.
The driver had 3 previous DUIs. For some reason, she was still out on the road and she hadn't learned her lesson. Now, there is an innocent life taken because someone has not kept her responsible for her previous actions. At what point can you no longer drive? At what point do you serve jail time? Is this just something we can continue to blow over with little regard or a simple slap on the wrist?
When it comes to taking a life, I don't think we can just let it go. And the woman that hit him is not the only one to blame. The police and courts that let her get off of her other charges, whoever let her keep her license and maybe (a case can probably be made for) the lawyers. They all played a part in keeping this woman out where she could drink and drive and now a life has been lost and many lives have been altered.
A separate story: My husband's friend, a 40 yr old successful architect, now has 2 DUIs. He went to court and lost his license for a year and had to serve community service. But, he needed a license in order to travel for work so he had already gotten another license by the time it was taken from him. He is still on the road as well. He still drinks and then gets behind the wheel. He has not learned his lesson either - I just hope he does not have the same weight of taking a life on his conscience some day.
This part of our system needs to be corrected. We need to put an end to this and make it harder for known offenders to be given the privilege of driving. If you cannot handle the responsibility of having a driver's license, you should not be allowed to have one. If it were a sex offender, there would be restrictions in place to keep this person from another offense - why not drunk driving as well?
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Comments: 16
Spencer, that's a pretty major quirk, in my opinion!
Nardy, You're lucky! I would think that after community service, revoked license, court fees, etc, the friend would learn a lesson as well.... But some people learn slower than others, I suppose.
Keith - Valid point! Very valid point! I think to some degree, people need to know their limits. One beer at the bar isn't going to make me a drunk driver. One case of beer at the bar is a different story. Perhaps, if this woman was at the bar before hitting our friend's dad, the bar should also be sued. Along the same line, drunks will drive even without parking lots at bars. They will just drink at home and then drive to the liquor store to get more booze.
OUr justice system is flat-out broken!
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"But, he needed a license in order to travel for work so he had already gotten another license by the time it was taken from him."
I can't even begin to understand what this means. When suspended here, you cannot simply go and get another one. You are OFF the roads for the entire term of the suspension. You cannot drive . . . or even apply to take another test at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Incidentally, most people drive home from court after they lose their license.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
Drink, smoke what you want, I don't care - until you expose other people to danger because of it.
How many times does a person actually commit the crime without being caught? Like Lainie's husband's friend with two convictions and still driving.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~