It's a good question.
Easy. He got in a car, put a key in the ignition and drove onto it. Duh!
Only a fool believes laws prevent crimes. Unfortunately, we have no shortage of fools.
Force prevents crimes. Like being forced into a jail cell for twenty years. Keep him in a cage and he won't be doing much drinking or driving.
Instead, we let him out, shake our finger, and admonish him that he better not let us catch him at it again. Of course, after three slaps on the wrist, what is society's credibility in issuing threats?
Now, this is a "give and take" proposal. With this policy in place, I would like to see penalties for simple "DUI" reduced severely or removed. I think DUI laws in many cases are prime examples of "selective enforcement". If a driver is obviously impaired(swirving, eratic driving), then its not. But think about this: Bar lets out at 2:00 AM - most people are legally intoxicated, but given the percentages of wrecks caused versus the number of people driving intoxicated, the "DUI problem" is very insignificant. Cops could stand outside bars, wait till the patrons get into their cars, order them out, test them and arrest them. I would bet 90% were "over the limit". But this doesn't happen, and I do not propose it. You could stop all drunk driving like this. But, very few who drive "drunk" cause problems. Its no different than the number of law abiding gun owners versus thos who criminaly mis-use guns - very small numbers in comparison.
Raise the penalties for actual harm caused. Give no exceptions when the court proves that alcohol was THE contributing factor. IMO, this is the only thing that will stop tragedies caused by foolish people.
They do generate:
a) busy work for LEO's
b) Revenue (for the state and lawyers)
c) a false sense that 'at least they're trying to stop this epidemic'
d) All of the above.
Answer: D
You do the crime, you do the time. PERIOD.
If this nation cracked down on criminals, and I mean CRACKED DOWN on Criminals. Things like making more crimes Capital Offenses.
Think about this for a second, for many years in our nation's history, Rape, Robbery and other Violent crimes were Capital Offenses. And when you had your fair trial and were convicted by a jury, you were taken out and hung within a few days to a few months at the most. None of this sit on Death Row for 40 years making appeals.
If it worked in our History, how did it all of the sudden become cruel and unusual punishment in the 1960's? I will tell you why, the hippie liberals of the 60's are the ones in power today, they are PRO-CRIMINAL. And wacko's like the libertarians are just as PRO-CRIMINAL.
The only way to solve crime is to unmercifully punish those who break the law.