Link to article: http://www.todayonline.com/articles/188727.asp
Ansley Ng, TODAYonline
Also see:
2. TV actor Christopher Lee jailed for drink-driving, CHANNEL NEWS ASIA
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/275329/1/.html
3. Drink driver gets into double trouble, CHANNEL NEWS ASIA
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/276537/1/.html
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Summary of article:
With the recent spate of car accidents due to drink driving, the writer slams the “bravado” mentality of drink drivers in thinking that they are in full control of their faculties despite having consumed a lot of alcohol. He states two examples - a friend of his, as well as actor Christopher Lee (see link 2) - to support his claim. He states that “we have been too patient” with drink drivers.
The writer cites the growing number of drink- driving arrests and related deaths in the last two years and believes that the penalties for drink driving should be much harsher. He writes that since campaigns discouraging drink driving do not seem to have worked, drink drivers should, on top of being fined, be punished by being disqualified from driving for at least three years for first-time offenders, and five years for those who are involved in accidents. The writer also believes that since the fines may be peanuts for some offenders and that a few weeks in jail might also be ineffective, their driver’s licences should be taken should be taken away from them and that they should be made to use public transport. He believes that this will be like a “death sentence” to them.
My Response:
I agree with the objective here, however I consider the confiscation of the offenders’ licenses to be far from a “death sentence”. What makes us sure that a egoistic drink driver, one who needs to use car to travel, will not drive without a licence? How efficient are the measures taken to prevent disqualified drivers from driving? Other than random road spot-checks, it seems impossible for the authorities to monitor the behaviour of drivers during their disqualification period.
It is thus necessary to develop effective measures to deter drivers from drinking. Existing measures unfortunately do not seem to achieve this, and part of the reason for our patience with drink drivers. Furthermore, the recent antics of celebrities like Christopher Lee and Paris Hilton have not been exemplary.
I would also like to sympathize with the relatives and friends of those killed in the recent spate of accidents. I can imagine their despair at losing their loved one in a way that could have been avoided so easily if the offender was following the law. I can imagine their frustration with not only the offender but also with the lax penalties for drink driving. For some, such a death of their loved one is as good as manslaughter because, regardless of the cause of the death, similar damage has been done.
Thus, in my opinion the offender should face, together with a heavier fine, a very long jail term - a punishment that is similar for a criminal case such as an manslaughter. This will pacify the families of the victims and assure them that justice has been done. Such a punishment also guarantees what a disqualification cannot- that the offender will not be able to drive.
We can also look at this problem with an individual focus. If a person plans to drink at a certain place soon, why should he or she take the car? If he could stop thinking about his convenience for a moment and realize the potential damage he could cause to others and the trouble he could land himself into, he could actually avoid it.
If everyone thought this way, then the world would be a much safer place! However, that is being too optimistic. In reality, there will always be drivers like Mr Christopher Lee who believe that they are immune to all the alcohol that they consume. Well, at least he has admitted to his mistake and shown remorse by paying the victims $70 000 in compensation. However, there are also drink drivers such as the one who tried to bribe the police officers after being caught (see link 3). Both cases are different in the way that the two offenders responded to their mistake, however they are sadly similar in the sense that the damage has already been done and that both are typical drink drivers- normal people who live in another world once they are behind the steering wheel.
It is up to the courts and authorities to make the difference.
( 500 words )
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