Drinking and Driving
...ve hopefully made many people reconsider their drink drive habits. Not everyone agrees. Some would argue that our drink drive laws are simply a revenue gathering exercise which does little to curb the behaviour of the habitual drunk driver. Others would argue that there is already too much social control in our society, and that attempts to legislate how much people can drink before driving will never bring down the road toll. Individuals, who have a serious drinking problem yet continue driving, are certainly unlikely to be persuaded to get treatment for their addiction simply because law changes have been enacted. Furthermore, graphic television commercials depicting the aftermath of a horrific car crash are likely to upset sensitive viewers, and yet be largely ignored by the intoxicated target group. Unfortunately, you cannot force people to think about consequences of their actions, particularly if they are young and impulsive and under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Under current laws, over twenty year olds on a full license can have a blood alcohol level of eighty milligrams per hundred millilitres of blood. However, how much an individual can drink and safely drive depends on such factors as their size, age, weight and metabolism. For this reason, many would argue that the only safe limit is zero. Another issue that is often debated is the need for stiffer penalties. In view of the fact that existing laws can already lead to an offender being fined, losing their license, being put on Community Service or Periodic Detention, having their car impounded, or even being imprisoned, I would suggest that the laws are already adequate, and that it is up to the Courts to impose stiffer penalties. Lastly, the age at which you can buy alcohol or go for your driver’s license is considered by many to be too low. Since so many road accidents are caused by drivers under twenty-one years old who have been drinking, why not take them off the road all together? Many would argue that it is unfair to target the younger drivers and those who enjoy an occasional social drink. For many the issue is not the road toll, but the right to live in a free society and make personal choices. They argue that the penalties are already too high. If, for example, your license gets taken away, you may...