310_Group1_P1

Position Paper – Part One

Name: Kayla Freund

Instructions: Please use this form as an organizer for writing your portion of your group position paper. You will be writing the opening paragraphs of the paper. You should clearly and thoroughly identify the problem that you are addressing. You may use your own research and the research from other members of your group. Be sure to follow the MLA citation format that you used when completing your JRP. Your portion of the paper should be a minimum of one page in length.

I. There is a problem in society today. That problem is 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 and more people are dying because of the drunk drivers behind the wheel. Many innocent lives are being taken away because of stupid decisions and faulty judgements from incoherent people. Once a person chooses to consume an alcoholic beverage is the moment they should give up their right to drive on the road because they loose the right to make correct judgements. Underage drinkers should also be severely punished because they are not of the legal age, but they're still driving. They could be more wild and reckless on the roads when driving under the influence just as adults could, and some may not understand the consequences of their actions. 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 and programs associated with drunk driving and they need to become more strict. But when it comes down to their third or fourth arrest, they obviously haven't been punished enough or else they wouldn't be getting arrested again. Breathalyzers and programs related to drunk drivers should be monitored better and the court systems should also make their rules more strict in order to prevent offenders from sneaking through the system. Too many people get off without any punishments for their poor, risky decisions, even if it is just a fine. Making laws more strict and enforcing them will protect more people from being injured by the act, or even potentially being killed. It is a huge offense and should be treated as one. Not only is the driver risking their own life, but they are risking everyone else's around them.

II. Facts that demonstrate that there is a problem are: (You may use your own sources and the sources of the members in your group) According to, "Tougher DUI Penalties Urged ; Study Looks at Dangers on US Roads," 20% of crashes are caused by a person who does not have a valid license. Some of these people have their license suspended due to a DUI. The continuation of driving after a license has been suspended has rose and people get away with it two or three times before they are officially arrested and taken in. Just taking away a license is not doing it for DUI penalties. In the same article, Delray Beach police officer Vinnie Gray, "[estimates] that 40% of the people he arrests have prior DUI convictions." Then in the article "Judge sizzles over DUI penalties Way too Lenient, Nadel Contends," Nadel urges lawmakers to make stricter DUI laws. He says a man was arrested and put in jail on a count of felony because of driving under the influence. He continued to try to reduce his sentence, which had already been reduced by four months of the recent maximum penalty. He was sentenced to fourteen months in jail, and had only served four of them. This is a problem because it took him receiving **eleven** DUIs before being sentenced. Nadel suggests, " the drunk-driving laws are [not] taken seriously." In an article titled, "Drunk Driving: Outlook" Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) have said that most judges are too lenient on the drunk driving penalties and they do little to discourage repeat offenders. Another article, "Drunk Driving," refers to a man who killed a 15-year old jogger while driving under the influence. He has had his license suspended 17 times, yet he can still drive around and he doesn't see the consequences of his actions. He has to wait to serve his sentence for killing the jogger because he is still serving time for causing a multi-car wreck a month before. The system has not been tough enough on citizens who continuously harm themselves and others. In the article "Centre County's DUI Court Tackles Problem," Centre County, in the last year, has had 868 cases of DUI's recorded, a record high, and not just the number of arrests were rising but their blood alcohol level, too. The limit is below a .08 and 50 percent of the people caught driving drunk had a blood alcohol level of a .16 or above. In Centre County, they have a program for people who have been charged with three DUIs which consists of jail time, time on house arrest, required to attend AA meetings, look for a job, receive counseling, and meet with their probation officers and meet with the judge. Unfortunately, they have to be charged with three DUI's before being admitted into the program. Many feel that people being charged after the first offense should be admitted, however that is not the case. The article "Drunken Drivers Push Limits" states that drivers with a BAC level above above .15% are considered hard-core drunk drivers and should not be allowed to be on the road. Last year, 10,839 people died in drunk driving crashes, 32% of all road deaths. More than 70% of crashes involved hard-core drunk drivers and obviously they aren't getting the message of the law. The article explains that the efforts of MADD aren't targeting the hard -core drunk drivers. Instead, they are targeting moderate social drinking. According to the article, "New Test For DUI Defense," under the Federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century states receive more federal money if they impose the following penalties for repeat offenders who have more than one DUI offense in five years; a minimum one year license suspension, impoundment or immobilization of the offenders vehicle or installation of a vehicle ignition lock that requires the driver to blow into a tube to prove sobriety, mandatory alcohol evaluation and treatments as appropriate, and a mandatory minimum jail sentence. Many DUI cases in court get thrown away or people find a way to sneak through the system. In the article, "New Test For DUI Defense," it stated that a woman who failed the one-footstand and the walk-and-turn sobriety tests got her case thrown away because she was wearing stiletto heels. The article also states that common penalties for DUI's are seizure of the offender's driver's license, car, and mandatory drug an alcohol rehabilitation, mandatory drivers' classes, probation, and jail. Jail time usually starts at a minimum of one year, which could be increased if classes and rehab programs do not work. More people are being arrested and sentenced to jail time for a DUI than ever before according to "Drinking and Driving and the Law." According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, in 2004, 1.4 million drivers (1 out of 135) were arrested for driving while under the influence. Even underage drinkers between the ages of 16 and 20 are arrested and punished for DUI's. Between 2002 and 2003, 169,000 teens were arrested and punished. Every state defines a blood alcohol level content of .08 as drunk driving. All states have also enacted the zero-tolerance law, which is anyone under 21 who is caught driving after drinking even one sip of alcohol could receive fines, arrest, jail time, and other penalties. Many drivers convicted of injuring or killing someone since 2000 have only spent months in jail, when they should be serving longer sentences and not be allowed to drive at all. Too many lives have been hurt and devastated from drunk drivers, when outcomes could have been different if only the penalties were ones that made the offenders think twice about every one of their decisions.