>>Depending on location, a bicycle is not a viable alternative.
I understand. That doesn't change my stance on the matter.
I understand. That doesn't change my stance on the matter.
So the suggestion was untenable from the start.
Driving drunk should be penalized, even harshly. But people should have a chance at rehabilitation.
In a car dependent society/region, a permanent ban without an opportunity for reform is cruel and unusual punishment.
If self driving cars were 100% here right now, or if we had better public transportation, I think it’d be a different story.
Other drivers are often very aggressive [5], there's not all that much you can do to mitigate harm at the time, there's practically nothing you can do to discourage that bad behavior if they didn't actually crash into anything, and even if they do your options can be limited.
[0] https://www.startribune.com/probation-for-negligent-truck-dr...
[1] https://www.annarbor.com/news/motorist-sentenced-to-probatio...
[2] https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/driver-in-hit-and-run-that...
[3] https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/driver-in-crash-that-killed...
(if you kill enough children you can get a little jailtime, but again the fact that you were driving really dials back the sentencing) [4] https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/man-accused-in-deadly-wi...
[5] Not a source; I'm just appalled at the utter disregard for human life I see every time I compare SF drivers to the rest of the country. It's not everywhere that you'll see a car speed >60mph around the shoulder (dodging pedestrians) to pass the car stopped waiting for the kids to cross at the well-marked flashing crosswalk in their school zone, but that level of misbehavior is commonplace here. Why? Is it a sampling artifact? Other major cities don't _seem_ so bad in comparison.
The things I see now are mind bogglingly stupid and dangerous.
If it’s happening habitually, the penalties are generally more severe, and that seems reasonable.
If someone reforms themselves, gets sober, stays sober and can prove that, they’re no longer a habitual drunk driver.
To add to a sibling comment, the level of distracted driving happening right now is insane. I’ve been almost hit as a pedestrian and as a cyclist about a half dozen times in the past year due to drivers looking anywhere but at the road. Something changed during/after lockdowns. I think people got more addicted to their devices, and take that on the road with them.
IMO, DUI needs to roll up to a “driving while dangerously distracted” category. Checking instagram, FaceTiming, etc. while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk, and seems to be happening everywhere.
To be clear, my argument is not that people should be excused for bad behavior. But penalties need to be balanced against basic human rights, and should be applied fairly to bad driving behavior across the board.