All states and the country as a whole have DUI arrest statistics that are trotted out periodically to prove one side or another in the constant battle about drivers who ignore all common sense and decency and drive after they have been drinking or using drugs. One side will say that the arrest statistics prove the laws are too lenient because so many drivers are arrested over and over again for the same violations. Others will say that the laws are strict but are not doing an adequate job of keeping impaired drivers off the roads. Highly skilled DUI lawyers will agree that there aren’t any reasonable arguments that could be made that law enforcement officials are doing too much to keep DUI drivers off the roads.
If anything, DUI arrest statistics show that no amount of monetary fines, draconian laws, high insurance costs, etc., will stop a driver who is convinced that he is perfectly capable of driving after using certain substances or drinking. Arresting them over and over again, only to let them out of jail and allow them to get behind the wheel again is not stopping them. Taking away their licenses does not stop them. Taking away their vehicles does not stop them. Fining people huge amounts of money does not stop them. These arrest statistics are terrifying because so often it is the innocent driver of the other vehicle that is killed or maimed. And these statistics also show that even killing someone in their own car or in another car does not even necessarily stop them.
According to statistics on MADD.org, the average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before their first arrest. The only thing that will really stop a driver is someone else who sees the problem and simply does not let them drive, takes away the car keys and puts them into a cab. This is one element that does not show up in DUI arrest statistics, but is certainly one that would be worthy of study if such a thing were possible. It is vital that we all monitor friends and acquaintances that drink and make sure that they do not ever, not even once, get behind the wheel of a car when they are impaired.
Post provided by the Phoenix DUI Lawyers from Law Offices of David Michael Cantor. The Law Offices of David Michael Cantor is an AV rated law firm by Martindale-Hubbell.
