Stark wrote:Perhaps the higher limit in the US is due to their laws regarding breath testing, where if someone isn't OBVIOUSLY drunk the test can't even be applied?
I've always wondered why this retarded rule is in effect ; It essentially means you're at the cop's mercy during the Field Sobriety Test, and if he doesn't like you for some reason (Say, because you're black and driving through Alabama on a Sunday) he can be a huge asshole about it.
What's so beneficial to liberty about that setup, as opposed to a quick test via breathalyzer on the spot, where the device clearly (and objectively) shows if you're above the legal limit or not?
And if you're unlucky and just happen upon a broken or oversensitive breathalyzer, then you can have the whole circus with field sobriety tests, breathalyzers at the precinct and blood tests.
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How about a lifetime license revocation for a single DUI, no matter the circumstances, followed by a lengthy prison sentence for anyone caught driving (drunk or sober) after their license has been revoked for the above reason?
I doubt it would deter many drunk drivers, who obviously don't care about the consequences anyway, but it would greatly reduce the opportunity for them to kill people from behind the wheel. Much stricter license requirements should also help weed out some of the people who would be inclined to drive drunk in the first place.
While I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea of in-car breathalysers in principle, given technical issues with current models, such as that they must be recalibrated every 200 or so tests to remain accurate, and that there are too many ways to spoof them if nobody is around to supervise your use of it (it doesn't even require another person to blow into the mouthpeice: even using a balloon should do the trick) I don't see it being practical or helpful to install them on every new car until the technology improves significantly.
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Mmmm.... been thinking about this a couple days. I'm not comfortable with a lifetimes revocation on first offense. Of course there should be some stern penalties but I'm a big believer in second chances and generally opposed to zero-tolerance type absolutes.
SECOND time is a different matter entirely.
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Broomstick wrote:Mmmm.... been thinking about this a couple days. I'm not comfortable with a lifetimes revocation on first offense. Of course there should be some stern penalties but I'm a big believer in second chances and generally opposed to zero-tolerance type absolutes.
SECOND time is a different matter entirely.
I think it should depend on the level of intoxication. For example, if someone is at twice the legal blood alcohol limit, then he didn't just break the law; he chose to flagrantly ignore it. In that case, I would want to bring the hammer down on him even for a first offense.
Someone who has two or three drinks and thinks he's safe to drive home is maybe just young and stupid. But someone who gets himself totally sloshed out of his mind and still gets in the car to drive? That guy is an asshole who doesn't give a fuck about anybody but himself.
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