Toughen drunk driving law
Re Accused in Vaughan crash has history of provincial offences, Sept. 29 Driving a car while drunk is no different than driving with a loaded shotgun and firing it at innocent people. Either way it’s murder and should be punished accordingly.
Three innocent children and their grandfather were killed and two others injured, allegedly by a drunk driver, leaving the Neville-Lake family totally devastated.
Ontario was quick to increase penalties for texting and driving. When is it going to step up to the plate and do more than just pat drunk drivers on the wrist?
Until it does, it is an accomplice to such crimes. And by the way, why don’t we call it what it is. “Impaired driving” lacks the clout that “drunk driving” has. Jo Sorrill, Whitby
“Drivers need to become convinced that flirting with a DUI could blow apart their lives, even if there is no tragic outcome.” JASON MACRAE MILTON
Drivers should never drink. There have been years of education and advertising about the dangers of driving after drinking. MADD has been front and centre in our communities and directly in our secondary schools across the country.
It is time for our government to impose legal consequences. If you drink then drive and kill, you go from a hearing directly to jail. There needs to be a lifetime ban on ever driving again and a jail sentence that equals that of manslaughter for each victim.
As a society, we cannot let this issue die. David Tupper, Owen Sound, Ont.
Deterrence is important. The maximum penalty for impaired driving causing death is already “life,” though that probably translates to a few years of actual incarceration.
Perhaps the penalty for drunk driving when you don’t kill anyone needs to expand. Would an automatic five-year sentence on conviction, with a five-year driving ban on release, cause more people to never take the chance?
Drivers need to become convinced that flirting with a DUI could blow apart their lives, even if there is no tragic outcome. Jason MacRae, Milton
As long as there’s not a life-altering consequence for drunk driving, we will continue to mourn the loss of innocent lives. Rob Cowan, Toronto
While it is reassuring that ordinary people contribute to tragedies like the burial costs of these innocent victims, what we really need is a fund to ensure that when drunk drivers who kill get out of jail, they are never permitted back on our roads again — period. Herb Alexander, Thornhill
The tragedy of the three children and grandfather who died in the car crash is one of many we have endured over the years. We ring our hands in frustration and disbelief. What more can we do to get the message across?
As a child psychologist who has conducted nearly 5,000 psychological assessments, each entailing a lengthy interview, I have an observation and a suggestion.
One of my standard questions is: “If you could be any age, what age would you like to be?” A very common answer, is “16 or 18” (whatever age the child associates with driving), which is then followed with, “so I can drink and drive.”
It is shocking to hear. My explanation is that the more we talk about it, the more children hear the two words connected to each other.
Any hypnotherapist will tell you that the unconscious does not hear negative words, such as “don’t” or “not.” When talking to the unconscious one is always directed to speak using positive words. You never say “stop being tense,” but rather “relax, loosen up,” etc.
It may seem paradoxical, but the more we talk about drinking and driving, the more children associate those two actions together. The message to children’s unconscious as well as to the unconscious of the rest of us needs to be something like: “When you drink, hand the car keys to someone else.” Dr. Robin Alter, Toronto
I am puzzled that there is not much outrage in our population when such tragedies strike regularly on our roads. And I feel that our courts are too lenient in such matters.
Our laws must be changed to impose severe punishment on drunk drivers. An impaired driver is no different than someone who goes on a killing rampage with a gun. Ramnik Shah, Deep River, Ont.
Publishing a statement by the accused’s mother was in such bad taste. What was she thinking? No one wants to hear her plea for privacy for her family. That disappeared the moment her son got behind the wheel, on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, allegedly drunk and speeding, and plowed into a van full of innocent people, including three beautiful children.
And things are about to get much, much worse; that, I can guarantee her. Pat Campbell, Toronto
In 2010, it is estimated that 2,541 individuals were killed in motor vehicle accidents in Canada. Of those, 1,802 were impairment related. How many more lives do we have to lose to realize that impaired driving is a huge problem? Szewah Shum, Toronto
No amount of police blitz, ads or messages from MADD will stop another drunk driver from taking innocent lives on our roads. The only way to stop this carnage is to mandate car manufacturers to introduce technology that will prevent a drunk driver from starting his/her car. Unfortunately even though the technology is in the works, it could take five years or more before its introduced into newer vehicles. Max Desouza, Toronto