310_Ind1_S1

Name:Kayla Freund

Instructions: Now that your group has decided on an issue, you must demonstrate that there is a problem. You will turn in this research sheet completed with two articles attached that you showed that there is a problem

I. There is a problem in society today. That problem is: The penalties for drunk drivers are too lenient. Fines should be larger, jail time should be longer, the length of time licenses are suspended should be increased, and repeat offenders should have tougher penalties as well so they do not repeat a third time. Overall, penalties need to be enforced better. Breathalyzers should be more closely monitored. Repeat offenders should be given stricter penalties so they do not repeat six or seven times or sneak through the system. People who receive DUI's do not have strict enough penalties and they can easily get away with their punishments or get out of punishments. Underage drinkers should also be severely punished because they are not of the legal age and driving. They could be more wild and reckless on the roads when driving that adults could. Many repeat offenders may even be driving without a license as well as with a DUI charge.

 Works Cited Cefrey, Holly. “Drinking and Driving and the Law.” //Teen Health and Wellness: Real Life, Real Answers//. Rosen Publishing, Aug. 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. . This article contains information about DUI penalties and information about punishments. Tebo, Margaret Graham. “New Test for DUI Defense.” //Proquest//. ABA Journal, Feb. 2005. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. . This article has information on new laws potentially being passed and some statistics concerning drunk drivers.

II. Facts that demonstrate that there is a problem are: (Two articles and bibliography must be attached) According to the article, "New Test For DUI,"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 suspendsion, impoundment or immobilization of the offender's vehicle or installation of a vehicle ignition lock that requires the driver to blow into a tube to prove sobriety,mandatory alcohol evaluation and treatment as appropriate, a mandatory minimum jail sentence. Many DUI cases in courts get thrown away or people can 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 cases thrown away because she was wearing stiletto heals.Common penalties for DUI's are seizure of license, car, and mandatory drug and alcohol rehabilitation, mandatory drivers' classes, probation, and jail. Jail time usually starts at a minimum of one year and that should be increased, because just taking classes does not mean someone will cure themselves. More people are being arrested and sentenced to jail time for 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 if 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 have been serving longer sentences.