by Dr. Radut

VIEWPOINT - Tax Grab / Cash Cow

Published by Anonymous (not verified) -

SoapboxI came across this video in an e-mail I received a while back and figured that you might be interested. I think it should be shown here, on internet as well as on TV. For whatever reason it seems to me that most people still don't get it.  The new laws we have are not really a solution to the problem, more a tax grab and cash cow than anything else.

Published by Anonymous (not verified) - 2010/11/13 - 11:44 | Permalink

In regards to my comments that you don't agree - o.k., maybe I used the wrong wording. The fact that the police does not like the new laws and the fact that it will be reviewed should tell enough. What I actually meant to say was that this new law probably would not address the right group of people. Over and over, whenever you read about an accident with drinking involved, you see anything between 0.8 and  2.4 !  Somebody that is driving with that kind of alcohol in the blood does usually not care about any laws at all. That also means that they keep driving, without a license and with stolen vehicles.

With regard to the news articles, I suspect that the actions against drivers between .05 and .08 are under reported. The most that might be said is "alcohol involved." This may change with the new penalties. There is a certain segment of the population that will do what they want regardless and the only way to stop them is to put them in a cage. Not something our courts seem to want to do these days.

As to the police not liking the new laws, if we disregard the (in my opinion) ill considered statements of Tom Stamatakis I think you will find that most police officers who consider impaired driving enforcement to be worthwhile welcomed the new penalties with open arms and are doing their best to apply them.

Of course, the first job of a politician is to get re-elected. I'm not surprised to see them waffle in the face of public reaction. Again, I find it to be a reaction based on emotion rather than educated thought and I have been doing my best to provide that information through my web site. I hope that they stay the course and don't change anything. Having been involved in traffic enforcement for 20 years and a collision analyst for 10, there is no doubt in my mind that we don't need drivers who drink and drive on our highways.

Impaired Driving
Viewpoint