Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2003 12:23 am
I hope I'm not out of line in posting this, but I'd like to take the opportunity to say...
Don't drive tired, either.
Driving while sleepy/drowsy is exactly as bad as driving drunk. Not only have studies been done on this, but I know it from personal experience. Although no person was hurt at the time, I was at the wheel of a car one night when I should have been in bed, and I did something I will always regret.
Also, when I was in grad school, a senior at the college was killed because he fell asleep at the wheel. This happened a week before graduation. A friend of mine used to be a fireman, and he once said that the vast majority of car crashes he attended to were caused by people falling asleep at the wheel.
Please, if you're even the least bit tired, rest a bit before driving. It may be inconvenient, but it will save a lot of heartache, and maybe worse.
IMO, drunk drivers deserve the harshest sentences possible. I'm including myself in that -- if my "tired-driving" had resulted in an accident with another vehicle, I would have no excuse. It would be right for the law to deal with me in the harshest possible manner, to prevent me from doing it again.
People make the conscious decision to drink. They then make the conscious decision to get behind the wheel of a car. Or, they make the conscious decision to drive tired. Everyone thinks "it's not going to happen to me." So I strongly disagree with those who say that sentences should be mitigated. If death results from a drunk (or tired) driving incident, the charge should be first-degree murder. Even if they feel okay, they still made the decision to drink and then drive.
Don't drive tired, either.
Driving while sleepy/drowsy is exactly as bad as driving drunk. Not only have studies been done on this, but I know it from personal experience. Although no person was hurt at the time, I was at the wheel of a car one night when I should have been in bed, and I did something I will always regret.
Also, when I was in grad school, a senior at the college was killed because he fell asleep at the wheel. This happened a week before graduation. A friend of mine used to be a fireman, and he once said that the vast majority of car crashes he attended to were caused by people falling asleep at the wheel.
Please, if you're even the least bit tired, rest a bit before driving. It may be inconvenient, but it will save a lot of heartache, and maybe worse.
IMO, drunk drivers deserve the harshest sentences possible. I'm including myself in that -- if my "tired-driving" had resulted in an accident with another vehicle, I would have no excuse. It would be right for the law to deal with me in the harshest possible manner, to prevent me from doing it again.
People make the conscious decision to drink. They then make the conscious decision to get behind the wheel of a car. Or, they make the conscious decision to drive tired. Everyone thinks "it's not going to happen to me." So I strongly disagree with those who say that sentences should be mitigated. If death results from a drunk (or tired) driving incident, the charge should be first-degree murder. Even if they feel okay, they still made the decision to drink and then drive.