310_Group_P4

Position Paper – Part Four

Name: Rachel Thomas

VII. Conclusion: Be sure to restate the problem and why you think your solution is the best possible course of action. The government has enforced DUI penalties but they are too lenient. We believe the government should enforce the DUI penalties beyond what they are now because the problem is rising and more people are dying because of drunk drivers. Both adults and teenagers should be punished severely. The laws aren't strict enough because you see people getting pulled over for their third or fourth DUI or driving without a license, but after their first incident, they should have learned their lesson. This means that they are not learning from the penalties associated with drunk driving and they need to become more strict. It is a huge offense and should be treated as one. We believe too many DUIs go unpunished. Our solution requires The Department of Transportation to implement the following federal regulations; first offenders should be detained until sober, recieve $3,000 fine, and participate in AA meetings twice a week for two months. Second offense within a year will require a fine of $5,000, and probation for a year with required counseling and suspended license for a year. Third offense, $8,000 fine and use of ignition interlock. Fourth offense and higher, 3-5 years in jail, with mandatory counseling. We believe our solution is the best solution because we covered and addressed multiple offenses. We think that the penalties throughout our solution will prevent people from driving under the influence, and the people who do because of a drinking problem can be identified. Making our solution a federal law will give no room for people anywhere in the United States to go unpunished for driving under the influence. With our solution, the amount of DUIs will be reduced and the roads will be safer.

VIII. Annotated Bibliography: Collect all the sources from your fellow issue group members and compile one ANNOTATED Bibliography.

Adams, Mark. Personal interview. 21 Feb. 2011. I interviewed Mark Adams to get an idea of what he thought of our solution to the problems.

"Big Gain on Drunken Driving." // USA Today // 28 Dec. 2009: n. pag. // SIRS //. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. This article is about New Mexico passing the interlock law and the decrease in DUIs.

Cefrey, Holly. “Drinking and Driving and the Law.” // Teen Health and Wellness: Real Life, Real Answers //. Rosen Publishing, Aug. 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <[]‌article/‌129/‌drinking-and-driving>. This article contains information about DUI penalties and information about punishments.

Copeland, Larry. "Drunken Drivers Push Limits." // USA TODAY //. 08 Dec 2010: A.3. // SIRS Researcher. // Web. 16 Feb 2011. This article is about a woman's husband who passed away due to a drunk driver and the killer getting away with a $5,000 fine. After the incident, they started becoming more strict.

“Drunk Driving: Outlook.” // ABC-CLIO eBook Collection //. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <[]‌Topics/‌Display/913363?cid=70&webSiteCode=SLN_ISS&returnToPage=%2fTopics%2fDisplay%2f913363%3fcid%3d70&token=30EBBE360B0B52D4993A2FB691E8FB45&casError=False>. Drunk Driving: Outlook is about groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Remove Intoxicated Drivers (RID) and how they view DUI’s. They have been pushing for stricter DUI penalties from the government.

Freund, John. Personal interview. 20 Feb. 2011. I interviewed John Freund to see his position on my solution. Freund, Edie. Personal interview. 20 Feb. 2011. I interviewed Edie Freund to see what she thought of my solution.

Ganim, Sara. "CENTRE COUNTY'S DUI COURT TACKLES PROBLEM." // Pittsburg Post // 6 Feb. 2011: n. pag. // ProQuest 5000 //. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. This article is about Centre County trying a new tactic to knock down the number of DUIs by stricter penalties in court.

Hingson, Ralph. “Prevention of Drinking and Driving.” // SIRS //. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <[|http://sks.sirs.com]>. prevention of Drinking and Driving talks about how the even the smallest Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level can affect a drivers ability to function correctly and make clear decisions.

“Lawmakers Push for Stiffer DUI Laws.” // foxreno.com //. N.p., 10 Feb. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <[]‌print/‌26821156/‌detail.html>. Lawmakers are seeking to create stricted DUI laws.

McCarthy, Bill. “Bill Would Crank up DUI Penalties.” // Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center //. Wyomg Tribune-Eagle, 28 Jan. 2009. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <[]‌ic/‌ovic/‌NewsDetailsPage/‌NewsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=News&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE|A192690843&mode=view>.

McCoppin, Robert. “Judge Sentences Woman to 3 Years in Prison for 10th DUI.” // ProQuest Platinum //. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. The article describes the account of a woman with multiple DUIs and says it can be punished up to 6 years. It gives the solution of extending jail time for repeat offenders.

Othon, Nancy L. “Tougher DUI Penalties Urged ; Study Looks at Dangers on U.S. Roads.’” // ProQuest Platinum //. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <[|http://proquest.com]>. This article is about many people still driving without their licenses after they are suspended due to DUIs. It explains that stricter penalties are needed, and that officials need to target problem drinkers to reduce the dangers.

Perry, Kimball. “Judge Sizzles Over DUI Penalties Way Too Lenient, Nadel Contends.” // ProQuest Platinum //. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. This article is about a judge who sentenced a woman with multiple DUIs. The judge gave her a shortened sentencea few months of the maximum, but she is still trying to get out of it. He thinks the DUI penalties should be stronger to prevent situations like those, in which someone has multiple DUIs and a lack strong punishment.

Putnam, Cecelia. Personal interview. 22 Feb. 2010. I interviewed Cecelia Putnam on her response to my proposed solution on making DUI penalties more strict.

Reed, Kyle Jacob. Personal interview. 22 Feb. 2010. I interviewed Kyle Reed on his view points to my solution to make DUI penalties more strict.

Singleton, David. “Double Trouble: Repeat DUI Offenders a Challenge for Law Enforcement.” // SIRS Issues Researcher //. McClatchy - Tribune Business News, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. This article gives some possible solutions to how DUIs should be dealt with in order to protect the safety of that person, and other people. It gives multiple solutions from different groups, and viewpoints.

Tebo, Margaret Graham. “New Test for DUI Defense.” // Proquest //. ABA Journal, Feb. 2005. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <[]‌docview/‌194380512?>. This article has information on new laws potentially being passed and some statistics concerning drunk drivers.

Thomas, Jennifer. Personal interview. 19 Feb. 2011. This interview with Jennifer explains that she agrees with my solution. It also gives a personal story about someone she knows, that supports my solution will work. She was concerned about “party” days like New Years. Also that people might get past the penalties.

Thomas, Laura L. Personal interview. 20 Feb. 2011. This interview explains that Laura Thomas agrees with my solution, but is concerned that people might still get away with it.

Thorngood, Curtis. Personal interview. 21 Feb. 2011. I interveiwed Curtis Thorngood to get a response to our solution.

Watts, Tim J. “Drunk Driving.” // ABC-CLIO eBook Collection //. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <[]‌Search/‌Display/‌1097950?terms=DUI>. Drunk Driving was about statistics related to crashes in the past 60 years. This article also talks about a few solutions that the government has already tried to achieve.

Watts, Tim J. “Remove Intoxicated Drivers.” // ABC-CLIO eBook Collection //. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <[]‌Search/‌Display/‌1011909?terms=DUI>. Remove Intoxicated Drivers discusses the statistics in the year 1995 when the daeth rates due to intoxicated drivers was extremely high. The article also refers to a few solutions that seem to help lower the statistics by some percentages.