There are more people driving, more people drinking, and more people driving drunk than ever before. The questions still remain whether DUI laws in various states are too severe, and, at the same time, whether those arrested for DUI who can afford aggressive, high-priced lawyers can get away with it, while poorer drivers lose their licenses, and maybe their jobs, in addition to having their car insurance rates sky-rocket.
"Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 30 minutes and non-fatally injure someone every two minutes" (MADD 2003 1). MADD statistics also reveal that "during 2001, 17,448 people in the U.S. died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes, representing 41% of all traffic-related deaths" (MADD 2003 1).
While newspaper headlines usually write about famous personalities arrested for drunk driving (Diana Ross, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, among others) it is the ordinary citizens who suffer the most. At the same time, intoxicated drivers' arrests are increasing: "Approximately 1.5 million drivers were arrested in 2000 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That's just over 1% of the estimated 120 million or more episodes of impaired driving that occur among U.S. adults each year" (MADD 2003 1).
Of course, statistics may well be misleading. The question is whether these "drunk" drivers committed some sort of accident that may be totally unrelated to their drinking. There are many who feel some of the DUI arrests and convictions are far too harsh, when compared to accidents caused by elderly drivers. A perfect example is the killing of over a dozen people recently at the 3rd Street Farmer's Market in Santa Monica by an 80-year old driver who, to date, has merely had his license revoked.
There are lawyers; organizations who complain that the so-called "drunk driver accident rate" has been hyped out of proportion: "Government statistics indicate that each year mor...