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Impaired driving driving cause life sentence? Driving under the influence is detrimental to all involved and can lead to serious collisions with other drivers, pedestrians and even property. Intoxicated drivers who chose to drive that way face major consequences. Some of them could cause a life sentence both emotionally and legally for the one choosing to drive impaired.
The statistics are shocking and sad at the same time. Every two minutes someone gets injured by a drunk driver and every half hour fatalities occur during those accidents. This is definitely shocking and sad because of the fact that driving drunk is completely preventable. It's a reckless action that can take or impair the life of someone else.
If the offender is lucky enough to be alive after an impaired driving accident or lucky enough to get pulled over before an accident, the driver will face serious legal punishment. These punishments and consequences are serious.
There are many financial liabilities for those driving while having impaired judgment. The driver can face in excess of a thousand dollars in fines and costs related to a lawyer and trial. Driving privileges will be suspended for up to three years and in most cases, the car will be impounded. If the driver is lucky enough to get his license back there will be more precautions in place. First and foremost, insurance rates will go up to an exorbitant amount because of the accident and charges. A breathalyzer lock will also be put in the car, meaning that if the driver doesn't pass the BAC test the car will not start.
Impaired drivers face the reality that their DUI convictions will stay on record for a few years. If there were no fatalities in the accident jail time is very minimal (if at all) and for most cases, the offender would have to go to AA or another alcohol rehabilitation program. However, what about the drivers that are charged with vehicular homicide on top of the DUI charge? Having a fatality in the picture complicates things further and causes more trauma for all involved.
Jail time for a vehicular homicide conviction can range from 12-20 years. Even though the time behind bars isn't too long, impaired driving can lead to a life sentence. Memories and guilt of the accident can last throughout your life. Guilt that comes from causing a fatality isn't easy to deal with. If the fatality was a friend or family member also in the car, the grief and feeling of irresponsibility can feel much worse.
Drivers may have emotional guilt and all of the legal penalties that come with driving drunk, but victims must deal with more. Aside from being resentful and angry towards the driver who caused the accident, they have to deal with the loss of a loved one, injuries to themselves that may be difficult and expensive to heal. Their friends and family also deal with the same anger and resentment as well as grief from any fatalities that may have occurred.
Permanent injury is common in accidents with drunk drivers. The actual scars may fade, but the emotional scars will stay forever. Flashbacks of the night the victim was hurt or family member was killed is a thought that can haunt people for years to come. Traumatic experiences are always burned into our heads so strongly and so vividly.
Drunk driving can be completely prevented if more people used their common sense and called for cabs or appointed someone to stay sober and drive when no one else could. Consequences are serious and after effects could lead to life sentences in many different ways.
