Drunk driving is illegal for a reason...

Drunk driving is illegal for a reason, because it endangers the lives of many. In a recent post that one of my colleagues made, she argued that drunk driving should be legalized.  One of the arguments she made was that in our society people drink everyday and that is why they shouldn’t be punished for killing someone while under the influence because they “didn’t intentionally mean to”. I find her argument weak because well for one even though their judgment gets impaired when they consume alcohol, people are still however fully aware of their actions prior to consuming alcohol and if they choose to drink and drive, they are completely responsible for their actions. Society doesn’t encourage drinking, they merely glamorize it, making it seem like it is the best thing in the world. But lets be honest, what doesn’t our society glamorize. Recent television shows like Breaking Bad make producing and selling Methamphetamine seem like an easy way to earn thousands if not millions of dollars but just because it’s an easy way to earn lots of money, doesn’t mean people should do it because again it can lead to severe consequences.

            The reason why drunk drivers are sent to jail is so that they realize the severity of their consequences. In a way it’s to teach those dumb enough to drink and drive a lesson.  Saying that drunk drivers don’t mean to go out and kill someone seems a bit too defensive in my opinion.  Mean sure they don’t mean to go out and kill people but at the same time when they choose to drink and drive they are willing to put lives at risk including their own. If drunk drivers are put in jail, they’ll be learning a lesson, and it is likely that later on in the future they’ll think twice before drinking and driving.  Personally if someone in my family was drinking and driving I would want them to be put in jail and on top of that get fined so that they won’t do it again and would realize the severity of their actions.

Another reason why they should be put into jail is because murder is murder regardless if you’re aware of your actions or not.  If someone who is mentally ill can go to jail for murder then someone who is intoxicated should also be punished for his or her actions. My colleague argued that drunk drivers shouldn’t be punished because they aren’t aware of their consequences, however what if a drunk driver killed your parents or even your child? Would you not want them punished because they should have been more responsible and shouldn’t have drove intoxicated?

            Society doesn’t really preach to the people to drink instead it uses drinking as an excuse for everything and it seems like drinking will solve any problem. Society is responsible for people getting drunk however nowhere in society does it ever say or even show that people should go out and drive while intoxicated. There are other means of transportation that allow drunk people to get home safely without endangering someone else’s life.

            Drinking and driving is illegal in fifty states and should remain that way because when people drink they should drink responsibly, and if they need to get home, then they should arrange other means of transportation instead of driving under the influence.  Drinking and driving is illegal for a reason because in the end it all comes down to how responsible a person is. If a person is irresponsible and drinks and drives, regardless of whether of not they kill someone, they should be punished.