Most deaths for people of all ages in the United States are reported to result from vehicle-related crashes. Statistics published by the state indicate that the data provided in 2018 by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) reveals that a third of the drivers are arrested alcohol issues (Ross, Joseph, & Gusfiled, 2010). Many cases of driving while intoxicated have been reported in previous years which have resulted in many accidents under the influence of alcohol. The instances of recidivism, however, are higher than the presented because in most cases, there are arrests that are related to driving while intoxicated which are not recorded in the state. Although the penalties for drink driving in the US are not so much strict, the accidents that involve deaths or injuries of the victims are treated much differently.
For instance, John Mathews’s case on driving while intoxicated which caused severe injuries to an elderly couple attracted a jail time and a more significant fine. John Mathews has a long record of causing accidents due to high levels of blood alcohol. In this case, therefore, the best criminal justice sentence for Mathews would be serving ten-year jail time, a three-year driving ban and £50000 fine as per the law (DiStefano & Hohman 2007). The reason why he has to suffer the penalty is that he has been involved in several drink-driving accidents, causing injuries to innocent people and repeats every other time.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2013 provided data which showed that approximately 18000 people died from accidents caused by alcohol-related driving. These victims presented a percentage of forty (40%) of the total traffic deaths in the United States. Statistics show that drunk-driving claims more than ten thousand (10,000) people every year, with an average of 30 people dying every day (Laurence & Joseph 2010). The record of 1837 people who died from alcohol-related accidents in the year 2017 shows that even a small amount of alcohol can alter the driving ability and cause serious deaths (Ross, Joseph, & Gusfiled, 2010).
However, the victims of alcohol-related accidents suffer in many different ways, which may include permanent physical disabilities, trauma, financial deterioration as well as emotional disorder. The elderly couple, for instance, spent so much money for treatment and suffered pain in the hospital as therapy was conducted on them. Also, there is a risk of getting permanent physical disabilities such as being crippled as a result of the severe injuries that the elderly couple obtained from the accident (Laurence & Joseph 2010). Similarly, the families of the victims of the accidents suffer both financially and emotionally as they try to help their loved ones to regain from the accident.
There are breathalyzers developed to conduct tests in the laboratories and roadside tests that detect the level of alcohol control in the blood. According to the laws, a person is declared drunk if the blood alcohol content is above 0.05% (DiStefano & Hohman 2007). However, a drunk driver is subject to punishment by law through a fine of $600 or a jail term of 65 days or both (Ross, Joseph, & Gusfiled, 2010). The rules are far much less severe since the same drivers arrested with drunk-driving get back to alcohol drinking even after they are released from jail. Some changes can be made on the laws to ensure that recidivism rates are reduced.
In conclusion, imposing a severe punishment such as more substantial fines and longer jail terms on the drivers who go astray would be a way of handling recidivism. Similarly, victimologists with minor drug abuse history can as well be allowed to evaluate the victims involved in a drunk-driving accident. The reckless alcoholic drivers should stand for the hospital bills of the victims and other expenses which might occur due to the accidents. The laws should also be strengthened to ensure that no drunkard drivers should be allowed to drive on the road.
References
DiStefano, G. & Hohman, M. (2007). “The paradigm developmental model of treatment: a framework for treating DUI multiple offenders”. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly.
NCHS. Health, United States, (2013). Hyattsville, Maryland: Us Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health service, CDC, 1994; DHHS
Laurence Ross, Joseph R. Gusfiled (2010). Confronting Drunk Driving. Yale University Press.
