American DUI Laws

Criminology
Law
Psychology > Alcohol and Drugs

American DUI Laws

Persuasive essay on how DUI (drinking under the influence) laws in America are too lenient and how the country would be better off if they were toughened up.

1,352 words () | 9 sources | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This essay starts off with a story of a fatal DUI accident in Salt Lake City. It then goes on to state many statistics on alcohol-related crashes and the number of recurring DUI offenders. It cites the negative effects of alcohol when it comes to driving and how the United States is significantly behind others when it comes to enforcing and creating harsher DUI laws. Furthermore, it gives many examples of counter-arguments and why some people are opposed to stricter laws.

From the Paper:

"For example, the legal BAC in Sweden is .02, compared with our legal limit of .08. Even in Japan, which also has a stricter BAC of .03, citizens can be, and often are, arrested for driving with as little as a few sips of alcohol in their system. Slovakia and the Czech Republic even surpass the strictness of Sweden or Japan--they have a zero tolerance limit for driving under the influence. There, absolutely no alcohol is allowed in a driver's system--none. Penalties all over the world are also far more severe than those we have in the United States."

Sample of Sources Used:

"Alcohol's Effects." 11 March 2007. < http://www.1800duilaws.com/article/effects.asp>.
Balko, Radley. "America's Drunk Driving Laws are too Strict." Opposing Viewpoints: Cars in America. Greenhaven Press, 2006. 11 March 2007. <http://0-galenet.galegroup.com.wave.lccc.edu/ >.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "Summary of Decisions Concerning Constitutionality of Sobriety Checkpoints as of April 2006." 11 March 2007. <http://www.iihs.org/laws/state_laws/pdf/checkpoints.pdf.>
MADD. "State-By-State Traffic Fatalities-2005." National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2006. 11 March 2007. <http://www.madd.org/stats/11088>.
NHTSA. "Traffic Safety Facts." 2003. 11 March 2007. <http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2003/809761.pdf>.