Repeat drunk driving remains a problem
HUNTINGTON — Repeat offenders consistently account for a substantial portion of the overall drunken driving problem, and many believe reversing the trend will take increased public pressure on the court system and legislative action.
An April 17 vehicle crash in Wayne County underscored the problem. Investigators charged a repeat drunken driver with stealing a vehicle, driving it into West Virginia,
crossing the center line and hitting another truck head on.
The crash killed John Michael Boone, 28, of Kenova, and his two children, Jordan Micheal, 3, and Michael Tyler, 2. The father’s friend, Thomas "Reno" Hardwick of Fort Gay, also died in the crash.
Investigators charged Bobby Frazier, 47, of Louisa, Ky., with being intoxicated at the time. Frazier had at least eight prior drunken driving arrests in Kentucky, and his most recent punishment was a fine and 30 days in jail.
The victims’ families are pushing for stronger drunken driving laws. Charles Hardwick said the current system let his family down, and Tronnie Boone said there must be a stopping point to keep repeat offenders from getting behind the wheel. Both men are fathers of the oldest victims.
"The courts are going to have to realize they are letting these people out and giving them too many chances to kill families," Tronnie Boone said.
But stopping drunken drivers is a complex issue. Sometimes prison may be the only way to keep a repeat offender from getting behind the wheel in a society that talks tough against drunken driving but too often excuses it as a human mistake when a loved one or acquaintance is arrested.
Joyce Abbott, the manager of driver improvement for the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles, said apathy leads to a lack of public pressure on a system already faced with prison overcrowding and increased criminal caseloads.
Tags: drunk, john, wayne
Give me the country, I’ll solve this =)1st offense: $10k fine (finance options at 5%) and 100 hours of community service (you can build the mexico fence)2nd offense: $10k fine (again), Lifetime loss of drivers license, 500 hours of community service, and we sell your car for charity money.3rd offense: Death. 3 months from the offense date you are given the needle. You’re a waste of oxygen and while we appreciate your cash donations the other 2 times you’re a liability. You obviously can’t get the message and will only continue to screw up.People fear 2 things in the USA - death and bankruptcy. I didn’t put prison time in there because I’m tired of paying for prisons. You pay us and work for the betterment of society with community hours and then after you are proven too stupid you are put to sleep. Spin it all up with a nice fear ad campaign.
Yes and the number of infractions that still occur after nearly a half century of increasingly stiffer penalties is proof that your solution is being utilized to its maximum potential. Of course taking a taxi can be part of the solution. I just dont see that happening enough to put a serious dent in the number of drunk drivers out there.
As I read it, you are basically equating alchohol consumption to rape. What the hell? You do know, don’t you, that it’s quite possible to consume alchohol responsibly? How does one rape responsibly? Use a condom?(Also, what does rape have to do with being queer? Lovely non-sequitur. It seems like you might have some “issues.”)All that aside, I do see your point vis; argument from popularity. I left myself open to that because I didn’t feel like getting into greater detail. Had I chosen to go into greater detail, I would have argued that the drive for altered consciousness, whether it be induced by intoxicants, religious fervor, meditation, fasting, extreme physical exertion or whatever, is pretty much a human universal. We see it in virtually all cultures that we know of and since that’s the case, calling it “dumb,” is not particularly useful in that it over-simplifies what is in fact a highly complicated aspect of what it means to be human.
taking a taxi home wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t also have to take a taxi there… and to anywhere else you went that evening.
What’s so silly about that - what the hell else are you going to do drunk in the drivers seat with the keys in the ignition?There is a gulf of difference in attitudes here, in the UK anyone even considering driving even slightly over the limit immediately becomes a hated pariah, and rightly so. We still drive to get to the places where we drink, but here’s the secret: The driver elects not to drink.
Thanks for the blanket statements informing us of your opinion. You arrogance is a bit awe-inspiring. Millions of human beings throughout history are, “just plain dumb,” because they enjoy booze? Are you drunk?
Most people think prisons should be used for punishment - they are WRONG. The sole purpose of prison in the United States today is incapacitation - for “X” amount of time, the state will not allow a convict to victimize another person outside of prison. I agree with your argument, but not your punishments. Death is too harsh for me.I do agree that we need an effective deterrent that will keep people from driving drunk.I support prison sentences for DUI, because during that time, I will not be victimized by those in my society that don’t have the common decency to consider other’s lives when they drive. At the same time, those people that are given prison or jail time for crimes like possession of marijuana should be fined a lot of money like Shawnosaurus has laid it out. I’m not worried about my personal well-being around a pot smoker, but a drunk driver scares the shit out of me. If a car can be considered lethal force in the court of law, drunk driving at 1.0 or above should carry a mandatory one year jail sentence. Mandatory.This article has a lot of good suggestions, but it also sounds like a scapegoat for people who don’t take any personal responsibility when they get behind the wheel.
How many cities have decent public transportation available after 11pm?If you are planning on getting smashed don’t drive, but things happen. Some nights you can X drinks and be fine, other nights you have X drinks and realize that you are pretty drunk.