[Mr. ///M3 RD]

Yesterday 7 young lives where erased all teenagers in two different accidents in Ontario - Canada.

This one claiming 4 lives ===> due to a collision of 3 cars with icy road conditions

and

This one claiming 3 lives ===> Due to a drunk driver

I get so angry when young lives are lost under such unnecessary circumstances that are truly preventable by parents and stiffer law enforcement's.

I ask myself do parents not care anymore what there young once are doing, planning or where they are? Would the 3 car accident not have been preventable by checking the weather forecast and not driving at night after rain turned to snow and temperatures dropped below the freezing mark? Or there parents insisting to stay in a hotel/motel overnight till the roads clear and it be safe to drive. Perhaps parents did indeed recommend this to the young once and they just ignored it?

In the case of the drunk driver - I think our laws are just not tough enough to discharge this also the establishments (bars etc) should be held responsible for such a tragedy with very heavy fines.

Even if the drunk driver was at a friends house his friend should not have let him leave. He must have been in over the top condition to run over three teenagers from behind and take there lives.

Perhaps one day there will be police stationed outside of the bar(s) to take offenders like the driver that drank in a bar straight to jail to sleep it off or at least take away his keys and put him into a taxi and instruct the taxi driver to send the bill to the bar.

I do realize that if the driver drank at a friends house then his friend if he is one should have taken his keys and put him into a taxi.

How many young lives need to be wasted like this I ask myself when I see stories like this on TV or read about it in the newspaper.

May those young folks R.I.P. and may there loved ones overcome there grief by remembering the happy memories.

[Greenkirby21]

I agree that drunk driving laws are not harsh enough. While I do agree about the parents thing, let us forget these are not little kids anymore. They are responsible for their own actions.

[jumpthewire]

Very sad. I also think it is way to easy to get a driver's lincense.

Better training might curb alot of the bad habits you see on the roads. This is why I will always feel safer flying.

[Q4P]

Originally Posted by jumpthewire

Very sad. I also think it is way to easy to get a driver's lincense.

Better training might curb alot of the bad habits you see on the roads. This is why I will always feel safer flying.

Not sure if it's relevant but I wholeheartedly agree, 16 is also too young to have a drivers license.

[NYCGP]

While I agree DUI/DWI laws could/should be more harsh, I also think they could be tweaked. Giving a person a DUI while they are asleep in their car is unacceptable. But, it happens all the time. The only two friends I have that got DUI/DWI got them while having made conscious decisions not to drive under the influence. Instead, they chose to sleep it off in their cars. One did so in his passenger seat and STILL got arrested.

There is a lot of focus on teenagers and young people driving while under the influence. But if you look at the statistics it is adults who are more likely to engage in DUI/DWI and in turn are more likely to take lives because of it. Obviously, this is due to the sheer number of adults when compared to younger drivers.

However, when I think of the most dangerous drivers on the road on a daily basis I think of the elderly. My 89 year old grandmother still has her license and refuses to stop driving. She is one of the most dangerous people I have ever seen behind the wheel of a car. No matter what we do she won't listen.

No politician will ever do anything about the problem of elderly driving due to their turn out at the polls.

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by Rolf-Dieter

I get so angry when young lives are lost under such unnecessary circumstances that are truly preventable by parents and stiffer law enforcement's.


In the case of the drunk driver - I think our laws are just not tough enough to discharge this also the establishments (bars etc) should be held responsible for such a tragedy with very heavy fines.


Perhaps one day there will be police stationed outside of the bar(s) to take offenders like the driver that drank in a bar straight to jail to sleep it off or at least take away his keys and put him into a taxi and instruct the taxi driver to send the bill to the bar.

I do realize that if the driver drank at a friends house then his friend if he is one should have taken his keys and put him into a taxi.

How many young lives need to be wasted like this I ask myself when I see stories like this on TV or read about it in the newspaper.

May those young folks R.I.P. and may there loved ones overcome there grief by remembering the happy memories.

I get infuriated when people think it's someone else's responsibility or think others should be held accountable for the actions of another. Issue a penalty to the establishment (bar), that's idiotic, how about we just hold the drunk guy accountable for his actions? Swiftly and justly.

Also, if you didn't know, the drunk driving laws in Canada are far more severe than they are in the US. Did you know a person from outside of Canada that's had a DWI/DUI in the last 10 years isn't even welcome in the country and will be turned away by Canadian immigration?

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by NYCGP

I also think they could be tweaked. Giving a person a DUI while they are asleep in their car is unacceptable. But, it happens all the time. The only two friends I have that got DUI/DWI got them while having made conscious decisions not to drive under the influence. Instead, they chose to sleep it off in their cars. One did so in his passenger seat and STILL got arrested.

This is pretty true and a really poor interpretation/use of the laws.. Put the keys on top of one of the tires outside of the car or in the trunk. If you don't have the ability to drive, they couldn't do anything. If your keys are on your person or in the ignition you're as good as driving.

[jumpthewire]

1

Originally Posted by NYCGP

While I agree DUI/DWI laws could/should be more harsh, I also think they could be tweaked. Giving a person a DUI while they are asleep in their car is unacceptable. But, it happens all the time. The only two friends I have that got DUI/DWI got them while having made conscious decisions not to drive under the influence. Instead, they chose to sleep it off in their cars. One did so in his passenger seat and STILL got arrested.

There is a lot of focus on teenagers and young people driving while under the influence. But if you look at the statistics it is adults who are more likely to engage in DUI/DWI and in turn are more likely to take lives because of it. Obviously, this is due to the sheer number of adults when compared to younger drivers.

However, when I think of the most dangerous drivers on the road on a daily basis I think of the elderly. My 89 year old grandmother still has her license and refuses to stop driving. She is one of the most dangerous people I have ever seen behind the wheel of a car. No matter what we do she won't listen.

No politician will ever do anything about the problem of elderly driving due to their turn out at the polls.

[G-Bus]

Originally Posted by matthewk

I get infuriated when people think it's someone else's responsibility or think others should be held accountable for the actions of another. Issue a penalty to the establishment (bar), that's idiotic, how about we just hold the drunk guy accountable for his actions? Swiftly and justly.

Also, if you didn't know, the drunk driving laws in Canada are far more severe than they are in the US. Did you know a person from outside of Canada that's had a DWI/DUI in the last 10 years isn't even welcome in the country and will be turned away by Canadian immigration?

Totally agree with you!