In the United States, nearly 300,000 people drive drunk every day. Law enforcement officials catch only about 4,000 of these drivers. When a driver is caught drunk driving, there is the hope that they will never make the same mistake again. Unfortunately, some Colorado drivers don’t learn their lesson.
One Colorado woman was on her way to the gym when a drunk driver rear-ended her vehicle, causing her serious injuries. After an open-heart spinal surgery and 20 months in a half body cast, she has never been the same since. Being hit by a drunk driver was hard to handle, but knowing that the driver had six prior DUI convictions made it even more difficult to bounce back.
Several states, including Colorado, declare drunk driving a misdemeanor, regardless of the driver’s DUI history. This means that the consequences for repeat offenders may only include license suspension and minimal jail time. License suspensions hardly make a difference for these repeat offenders. Nearly half to three-quarters of such offenders will drive under the influence again, even if they have a suspended license.
Colorado is planning to implement tougher DUI laws, which will make multiple DUI convictions a felony in the near future. Some believe that putting repeat offenders behind bars is the only way to protect innocent people on the roads. Others think that repeat offenders should be required to use an ignition interlock device in their cars. These devices will require drivers to blow into a device in order to start their cars.
Even though progress is being made, many innocent people are still the victims of drunk driving accidents. Hopefully, with these improvements, fewer people will have to suffer at the hands of a drunk driver.