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Drunk drivers should be imprisoned on the first offense.


chav 1 / 6 1  
Nov 19, 2016   #1
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.
OP chav 1 / 6 1  
Nov 19, 2016   #2
Note: I'm not a student and I don't plan to take any test. I just want to practice writing. This is an essay topic I chose randomly from the internet so I can have something to write about.
sinahector 7 / 34  
Nov 19, 2016   #3
Hi
driving is one of the leading causes of death
involving lost of lives.(casualties)
Oftentimes,
... drinking and driving together seriously
Holt  Educational Consultant - / 14,726 4766  
Nov 19, 2016   #4
Hey Chav, kudos to you for wanting to improve your English writing skills for no other reason than self-improvement. Your topic of choice is really timely and offers comes across as a decent opinion piece worthy of publication in a personal blog. You still have some grammar problems such as plural forms (bars not bar because a prisoner is placed "behind bars". A description of the metal rods that keep the prisoner in his cell.) but the complexity of your grammar and sentence structures are enough to judge you as an advanced English speaker.

The only note or suggestion that I have for you at this point doesn't have to do with the formation of the essay but the information presented. When you write an informative opinion piece, you should try to present the latest information within the discussion. In this case, the information you present is almost a year old. I am sure you can find information relating to drunk traffic accidents for the first half of the year in your country. Presenting that information will make your essay more up to date, informative, and relevant to the reader. Aside from that, you really did a good job on the development of this discussion.
OP chav 1 / 6 1  
Nov 19, 2016   #5
I think I just spot one mistake myself, "live" in "save just one live" should be "life" (is this right?)

@sinahector

You said it should be "cause" instead of "causes". I'm not sure I agree with you since it's "one of many things" so "causes" should be plural. (can anyone confirm please)

The other two points are just a matter of style, I believe.

And thank you for you comments.

@Holt

Thank you for your encouragement and for pointing out mistakes and offering suggestion. I still need a lot of practice and it's still a long way before I can write like a native speaker. It must have taken me at least 5 hours just to write this piece.

I would appreciate if someone can point out further grammar mistake if there is more.


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