Ohio already has Drunk Plates, easily distinguished by this taxi-cab yellow and red color combo. My nieces and nephews love to play the "point and laugh" game when they see one of these.
Posted on 02/23/2006 5:12:43 AM PST by Cagey
Baltimore television station WBAL reported that one bill would have convicted drunken drivers wear a Scarlet Letter of sorts.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, 45 percent of Maryland's traffic fatalities are related to alcohol. The House Judiciary Committee heard about 18 driving under the influence bills Tuesday, but none as controversial as the so-called Scarlet Letter approach.
Montgomery County Delegate Herman Taylor, D-District 14, introduced House Bill 1315, which would require the state's Motor Vehicle Administration to issue special license plates to people convicted on at least two DUI offenses.
WBAL reported critics have called the measure a bumper sticker solution to crash prevention.
"It's intended to track people who have had two or more offenses dealing with drunken driving," Taylor said.
The license plates would contain the letters "DUI" in bold. Taylor said a drunken driver struck him last May, and at the time of the crash, police had no idea that person was a multiple offender.
Taylor considers the DUI plate an ounce of prevention because it gives police a license to stop the driver at any time.
"(The bill) will allow (police) to, without probable cause, pull them over and check" their driving records, Taylor said.
Defense attorneys have raised questions as to the specter of possible civil rights and other violations.
"I don't think the answer is a license plate, I think the answer is certainly more treatment and rehabilitation, which the governor has supported (and) the House Judiciary Committee has supported, tougher penalties for subsequent offenders," said Montgomery County Delegate Luiz Simmons, D-District 17, a member of the House Judiciary Committee.
Other states have already instituted similar measures. WBAL reported Ohio issues to habitual drunken drivers a yellow license plate that has red numbers.
Last year, Florida's Legislature considered requiring those with multiple DUI convictions to use a bright pink license plate. WBAL reported a similar issue also came up some 10 years ago in California.
Michigan currently uses paper tags to identify repeat offenders, while Oregon and Washington state put a zebra sticker over the plate of habitual offenders.
You make a good point and that's why I'd be against this silly legislation and just revoke their license for seventy five years on their second DUI conviction.
I am not a libertarian and I agree with sauropod.
By pulling him over and administering the standard sobriety tests, a cop might be able to determine that he's DUI before he causes an accident.
I'm not saying it's a perfect solution--few solutions are that. I just see practical benefits in this idea.
I'll go further and say that it's stupid. You're setting them up for vigilante justice, keying, and smashed mirrors, and they'll just find a way to drive other people's cars. This is a PR gambit by the 'RAT delegate who introduced the bill that does nothing to seriously address the problem.
Hi, Sarge. How are you doing over there?
I bet you think the seatbelt laws are just spiffy too.
I loathe anyone who uses the Nazi analogy in an attempt to make a point. There are far more substantive arguments to be made.
See #28, sweetie.
Ok, maybe I'm just being stupid, but how is that people with multiple DUIs are allowed to get license plates for their cars? How are they still insured? I fully admit I don't know much about the whole process, but I swore I had to provide proof of insurance to buy a car. And I would think that an insurance company would not be really fond of insuring someone with no license and 10 DUIs.... Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong...
I don't care if you loathe it or not. Old Sarge is correct. Ever been to an ANSWER rally?
Why don't you try reading my post #12 where I mentioned the demagogury that is behind this? I think this is the point that Old Sarge is making.
If you don't like the Nazi analogy, how about the communist one or the "Scarlet Letter" analogy used in the article. What is wrong with analogies? This is a scary idea, in my opinion. And a slippery slope.
Strike that, I see the Nazi analogy now - I was looking at the wrong set of posts. Still think it's apt.
Yes. I don't mean to dismiss the embarrassment of a sober driver of the vehicle, but the benefit of warning surrounding drivers that the driver of the vehicle may be the multiple-offender drunk driver could save lives.
It seems to me that driving is a privilege, not a right. We earn the privilege by driving responsibly. A person who persists in driving irresponsibly, in such a way that innocent people's lives are threatened, has forfeited the right to the privileges earned by the rest of us.
Not stupid at all - excellent points. The person without the drivers license can not get insurance and thus can not get tags, but anyone else in their family or company can. Once the tags have been issued, anyone on the title can renew them. Also, there are fly-by-night insurance agents who will issue a policy and then immediately cancel it for a very high fee, thus providing proof of insurance just long enough to get plates issued.
BTW, I love your screen name!
Ohio already has Drunk Plates, easily distinguished by this taxi-cab yellow and red color combo. My nieces and nephews love to play the "point and laugh" game when they see one of these.
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