Statistic tells us drunk driving is one of the leading causes of death in traffic accidents. In many countries, driving under the influence is already punishable by fines or prison sentences. The prison terms, however, are laid out more as upper limits rather than mandatory sentencing. If imprisonment is meted out at all, it seems to occur only in egregious cases involving lost of lives. Punishing first-time offenders by imprisonment even when no accident happens may sound harsh, but given its sheer deterrence value I would err on the side of public safety: If putting them behind bar for a year or two can potentially save just one live, I would say it's worth considering.
Oftentimes people don't take seriously the peril of mixing drinking and driving together. A prison sentence for the first offense would send a strong message that the society would not tolerate behaviors that can kill. It would also be a service to those who lost their loved ones to drunk driving. I would not object to someone doing some mundane activities while intoxicated --- playing cards, watching TVs, whatever --- but to allow him or her to propel a chunk of metal weighing a ton or more at high speed would be inviting something tragic to happen. After all, drunk driving is easily preventable: do not drink when you are about to drive. Nothing more than a bit of self-control is required here. If you can't even do that and manage to get drunk while driving, you are a danger to yourself and others and you probably deserve to be in jail.
In 2015, the World Health Organization reported that drunk driving was to blame for 26 percent of traffic death in Thailand even though the law stipulates a 60,000 Baht fine or a 6-month prison sentence or both for drunk drivers. I don't know how often the jail time is handed out, but the 26 per cent rate suggests that the fine didn't work and the prison sentence was merely an empty threat. Unless imprisonment is given heft, drunk driving will continue to be a main factor in road deaths.
Oftentimes people don't take seriously the peril of mixing drinking and driving together. A prison sentence for the first offense would send a strong message that the society would not tolerate behaviors that can kill. It would also be a service to those who lost their loved ones to drunk driving. I would not object to someone doing some mundane activities while intoxicated --- playing cards, watching TVs, whatever --- but to allow him or her to propel a chunk of metal weighing a ton or more at high speed would be inviting something tragic to happen. After all, drunk driving is easily preventable: do not drink when you are about to drive. Nothing more than a bit of self-control is required here. If you can't even do that and manage to get drunk while driving, you are a danger to yourself and others and you probably deserve to be in jail.
In 2015, the World Health Organization reported that drunk driving was to blame for 26 percent of traffic death in Thailand even though the law stipulates a 60,000 Baht fine or a 6-month prison sentence or both for drunk drivers. I don't know how often the jail time is handed out, but the 26 per cent rate suggests that the fine didn't work and the prison sentence was merely an empty threat. Unless imprisonment is given heft, drunk driving will continue to be a main factor in road deaths.