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Drunk Drivers: Murders Essay, Research Paper

Drunk Drivers: Murderers on Wheels

At just a little past 10 p.m., 19-year-old Jason Sumpf, a philosophy student at the University of Connecticut who had more things that he wanted to achieve than he could in six lifetimes, was leaving a party at 43 South St. in Plymouth, Connecticut. While Jason rummaged through his pockets for the keys to his girlfriend s car, headlights flashed across his back. Even though Sumpf was a second-degree black belt in karate, his reflexes weren t fast enough to jump out of the way of the oncoming car. Jason Sumpf was pronounced dead at 5 p.m. the day following the accident. Larry Vaughan, a drunk driver, took away the future that could have been so bright for young Jason Sumpf ( Murder Charge for Drunk Drivers Who Kill is Becoming More Common, 1999). Drunk driving is a growing problem in today s society, which has led to nearly 50 percent of all traffic fatalities being alcohol-related. Various consequences come along with driving under the influence. However, the current penalties don t seem to discourage people from getting behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated. People who cause the death of another individual while drinking and driving should be charged with first degree murder because people in today s society have been well informed that drunk driving is illegal, because the existing consequences for driving drunk don t seem to discourage people from driving drunk, and because drunk drivers get behind the wheel of their own free will.

In today s society plenty of awareness opportunities exist; however, most prove to be ineffective in preventing drunk driving. Driving drunk is a reckless act that teens and adults are guilty of committing. The battle against drunk driving begins at an early age through the efforts of awareness groups. From the time that children enter elementary school, they are presented with drug and alcohol awareness campaigns. Programs such as D.A.R.E attempt to get across the message that substance abuse is not cool, no matter what anyone else says. For the most part children seem to be genuinely interested in the message that adults are trying to get across to them. In junior high and the early high school years, programs such as Students Taking A New Direction ( S.T.A.N.D.) and Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) continue to encourage students to fight the pressures of alcohol. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) members, scare tactics, personal testimonies, awareness weeks, as well as substance free functions are only a few of the ways in which responsible individuals attempt to influence others not to drive drunk (Watson, 1999). Although it is a sad but very true fact, most high school students can not just say no anymore. It seems that by the time a child has reached his junior or senior year of high school, drinking has become quite a normal activity, despite the dangers that come along with this act. Teens and adults alike have witnessed their families, friends, and peers perish in alcohol related accidents, yet have done little to change their own ways. According to Public Policy Statistics (1997), three in every five Americans will be involved in an alcohol related crash at some time in their lives, and with drunk driving increasing each year the odds are even greater. Unless an individual has been totally sheltered from society and the real world, he knows that drinking and driving is illegal, as well as a ticking time bomb for disaster. People are fully aware that their are consequences to drunk driving, however when they get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated they show a blatant disregard for their safety as well as the safety of others, not to mention they are aware they are performing an illegal act.

Although consequences for drunk driving have been established, they do not seem to prevent people from breaking the law. Each state determines its own laws regarding drunk driving; however, most procedures are very similar. A suspended license, costly fines, and some jail time are usually what await anyone who is caught drinking and driving. If an officer finds that an individual is legally intoxicated (usually a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) between 0.08 and 0.10), while operating a vehicle, then a DUI or DWI is issued. A first time offender can expect to pay a fine anywhere from $300 to $1,000, as well as have a mandatory suspension of his license. This suspension can last anywhere from one week to one year. In addition, he will be assigned community service or spend up to six months in jail ( Public Policy Statistics, 1999). However, most offenders don t learn the first time they are caught drinking and driving. If their license has been suspended, they simply drive without one. Usually a loophole is found, or the offenders go to court and the judge gives them a break on the fines and jail time. Although there are some judges who will enforce the maximum penalties allowed, there are still a vast number who do not. Today s penalties are not seen as much of a threat, instead, they are seen as more of a warning system. Convicted drunk drivers even admit that today s penalty system is not one that is taken very seriously. For instance, Marcella Swearengen, a 42-year-old resident of Oregon, had been convicted of drunk driving 11 times since 1989, yet it wasn t until 1995 that she was finally sentenced to jail time ( Drunk Drivers Are Violent Criminals and Should Be Treated As Such, 1999). Now, looking back, Marcella wishes that she had been sent to jail sooner. She believes that it would have caused her to stop driving drunk (M.Swearengen, personal communication, January 30,1999). Luckily she never killed anyone, but the same wasn t true for another repeat offender, Timothy Earl Blackwell. Blackwell hit a minivan, which killed 4-year-old Megan Dail in April of 1997. At the time of the accident, Blackwell s license

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