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Hanlon's Razor should be more well-known.

I like to modify it and call it Hanlon's Scythe:

"In the absence of clear evidence, don't automatically attribute to malice, that which can be trivially attributed to any other cause"

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We always phrased it as "Presume good intent."

Who's we?

That's fine. Let's all forgive drunk drivers, they just want to get home, no matter how much carnage they cause. It's a stupid phrase that enables all sorts of black stupidity.

Absence of malice doesn't absolve from responsibility. The mental model is still accurate in your example.

You've taken it a half-step too far, but yes; if you assume that drunk drivers are, in fact, not setting out to comment manslaughter, then you can see what causes it and push for taxis/uber and actually get people off the road. Or you can assume malice, demonize them and end up like MADD.

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