Drunk Drivers Repeat Offenders
Drunken driving is dangerous. Virtually, no one dares to debate that.
However, a new controversy has arisen in the United States and other countries. Should drivers with multiple convictions for drunken driving be required to display special license plates on their vehicles?
Legislation already underway
In recent years, several U.S. states (including Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Washington) have introduced such legislation to combat drunken driving. Unique colored license plates (such as yellow or orange) designate drivers with criminal records for driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI). State laws vary, as to whether multiple convictions must be counted within a five- or ten-year span.
Other states, such as Iowa and Minnesota, are considering legislation that would confiscate license plates altogether, or even impound vehicles, if drivers rack up multiple drunken driving convictions within the stated time period.
In 2006, the California state legislature debated a bill requiring repeat offenders to pay extra for bright-red premium license plates. The bill was defeated.
The Scarlet-Letter Law
Such legislation has been dubbed "the scarlet-letter law," comparing drunken drivers to the much-maligned adulteress, Hester Prynne, in Nathaniel Hawthorne's famous novel. In fact, many states have designed specialized drunken driver license plates with raised red lettering.
Safety benefits
Proponents of specialized license plates for repeat drunken driving offenders eagerly point out the potential safety benefits of this practice.
Motorists and pedestrians would quickly recognize vehicles sporting drunk driver plates, so they would be able to steer clear of such folks. After all, a motorist with a history of drunken driving is many times more likely, statistically speaking, to be involved in a motor vehicle accident than one without such a past.
Opponents cry foul
On the other hand, opponents of specialized drunk driver license plates bemoan the apparent stigma this practice may put on motorists who may have had convictions in the past. Rehabilitated drunken drivers may desire a fresh start, without hanging identifying tags on their motorized vehicles.
Still, the stigma of sporting specialized drunk driver tags is intended to discourage individuals from drinking and driving.
A significant population still maintains that repeat offenders of drunken driving laws should lose driving privileges altogether, making specialized drunk driver license plates unnecessary. If convicted drunk drivers don't drive at all, they will not need special license plates.
Shared vehicles
In many a household, multiple drivers may share a single vehicle. If specialized drunk driver license plates must be placed on the family car, then non-drinking family members may be concerned about sharing the stigma. Should these motorists, with their unblemished driving records, be punished as well?
What if one of these family members should be ticketed for parking, an improper turn or speeding? Might he be considered a victim of police profiling? Does the legal system have room in its schedule to handle such cases?
Borrowed vehicles
What happens when a motorist with repeat drunken driving convictions borrows a vehicle from another individual? Must he swap license plates as well? If not, who will warn other motorists of the potential danger of sharing the road with this driver?
If a safe driver, with a clean driving record, borrows a car from a marked driver (with specialized drunken driving license plates), then that driver may be stigmatized as well (just as as a family member sharing the car might be).
Rental cars
Car-rental agencies may face an entire set of legal questions, when it comes to drivers with drunken driving convictions. Many car-rental companies simply refuse to do business with such motorists.
Identification without overlap
Somehow, the state-enforced laws, calling for specialized license plates for drivers with multiple drunken driving convictions, must differentiate between the actual offenders (or previous offenders) and those close to them.
After all, family members living with issues of alcohol abuse already contend with enough, without being personally subject to heightened criticism on the highways.
Perhaps a large magnet, reusable window decal or other special tag might be purchased and employed (only by the offending driver), rather than actual license plates.
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