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They are alcoholics......DUH!!!!

Wanna stop them??

How about 1 year in jail for the first offence??

Bear in mind that the standards for being considered driving drunk keep dropping (first it was .10, now .08). Now, for some people, it is the equivalent of a glass of wine or two with dinner. Does that make these people impaired drivers? Maybe, but maybe not (significantly). It depends on the person. However, the law as it now stands considers the case where a person is plastered to the gills and weaving all over the road the same as someone who has had a couple of drinks with dinner and shows no sign of impairment, as long as they're over that magic number.

A lot of accidents occur these days. The greater problem is simply the increase in the number of people on the road. Two of the areas mentioned (the Sacramento area and Modesto area) are jammed with traffic constantly. People do stupid things, drunk or not, and sometimes get themselves and others killed. But, if someone does something stupid when they've had a couple of drinks, suddenly alcohol is the sole cause. It's a similar technique to the one that includes all gang members among the death totals for children killed by guns each year.

Look at this statement in the article: "We need to get mad again," Sabin said. "There's a feeling (among some) that we've gotten a little bit complacent." Now, do you really believe that the present time, with all of the roadblocks, heavy penalties for DUI, and ad campaigns, is more complacent than before? The answer would have to be "hell no". But that's the hysterical view these people wish to promote, largely to keep their own organizations alive and well-funded.

Now, here's my disclaimer before I get flamed: drinking and driving is usually a bad idea. I am not trying to promote it. I just think the attitude displayed by this article is a little over the top.

I generally agree with you. I had a friend in college who went to a wedding, had 3 glasses of champagne in 2 hours. Was hit by another motorist leaving the reception, and then charged with DUI with a BAC of .08 even though the other driver was at fault. He was charged, taken to jail, and treated generally like a criminal before he posted bail on Monday morning. Meanwhile, the driver that caused the accident, was set loose back on the highways.
On the same evening, I saw a drunk idiot swerving in and out of traffic within 2 miles of this reception on I-285 in Atlanta.

The DUI laws in my opinion have gotten out of control. People are being punished as if though they had killed someone irregardless of the cost of their crime. People are serving jail time when there has been no victim. If someone gets drunk and kills someone on the road, this is Reckless Homicide in my book. It doesen't matter if they were drunk or putting on their makeup or eating rice krispies.

Politicians looking for a PR shot and overzealous lobbiest in groups like MADD have pushed the realm of DUI laws into the category of ridiculous and non-sensical.

Sober drivers commit 53% of all driving deaths, the .08 drivers just 1.8% of the deaths. The law is designed for profit, not safety. The drunks who kill are .15%. Make the .15 level mandatory jail time and make .08 the same fine as going 20 mph over the speed limit, as it is no more dangerous.

The very real danger I encounter several times a day is the sober cell-phoned soccer mom in a Suburban doing her make up while swerving two lanes at a time. They should be fined to the gills for this activity, as they cause countless accidents. I'll take a .08 driver any day over this nonsense.