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My opinion is that DUI should revoke your license. I know it is common in Europe where first offenders loose their license for a few months, and then it gets pr

My opinion is that DUI should revoke your license. I know it is common in Europe where first offenders loose their license for a few months, and then it gets progressively longer. The USA has IMO a terrible system which punishes DUI drivers through the justice system regardless of if they caused any harm. This leaves people with pretty shitty lives and prevents people from calling the police on DUI drivers. They can still drive shortly after though.

Tarball10 3y ago
Revoking their license does not stop them from driving.
- cratermoon 3y ago
  This is a good argument for having a robust and useful public transportation system, as well as designing cities to support such a system. Won't happen in the US in my lifetime, but one can cream.
  - actionablefiber 3y ago
    One can, but I think it is better to dream.
- runarberg 3y ago
  It stops by far most people from driving. The ones who are undeterred and keep on driving without a license are then fair game for the criminal justice system. Even if this minority gets away with continue driving without a license and wont get punished, you still save many lives by taking the vast majority of drunk drivers off the road. That alone is worth it.
- bobbylarrybobby 3y ago
  No, but it opens up the path to actual jail time, which would get them off the road for good.
Scoundreller 3y ago
I think in Europe you’re a lot less likely to get charged with a DUI. Rare to see random checkpoints, and generally rare to have non-automated “mobile” enforcement of traffic rules in Europe (in my US, Canadian, French, German and Croatian driving experience). Heck, in France most collisions don’t even involve police while they’re generally a mandatory report in US/Canada. If you get a DUI in Europe, you were probably a bad driver on top of being over the limit.
- VK538FY 3y ago
  My anecdotal experience is the exact opposite! I'm from some unpopular Canadian province and live in Switzerland. Lots of random controls in CH. I watch a lot of French television where they at least pretend to do the same in France, sort of the Gendarmes de Clermont-Ferrand. Anyway. I've also been a passenger in a car in Germany and the driver was controlled randomly. Now, in my wasted youth in a former capital of Canada, I wasn't once controlled when I should have been.
- fsckboy 3y ago
  collisions in the US only have a "mandatory" report because your insurance company requires it. And you have like three days to go into the police station and file one, and the police don't really pay attention to them. Many drivers think that the police will get involved in every car accident, and when two cars have a little bump, people will stop and get out to "preserve the evidence" for the investigation into "who is at fault" that they expect will soon commence, but when the cops get there (because of the traffic jam) they just confirm that nobody is injured and tell the people to get their cars out of the street, and exchange license and insurance information.
  - Scoundreller 3y ago
    In Ontario Canada, we have "fault determination rules" - fault gets "Algorithmically" assigned, sometimes illogically. Anti-consumer, but saves the insureco a ton on lawyers and balances out for them. Often police make you go to them. Tow trucks aren't supposed to bring unreported collision vehicles anywhere but a police station. Cops here do like to take the interaction as an opportunity to issue a ticket, such as "improper lane change" or "careless driving" (which can be another "hit" on your next insurance renewal in addition to the "hit" from being assigned fault). source: got summoned into court because the physicist who crashed into me tried to fight their ticket. They lost. My work treats this like jury duty and pays me, but I didn't realize until months later they took it out of my vacation. Grrrr.

Tarball10 3y ago

Revoking their license does not stop them from driving.

cratermoon 3y ago
This is a good argument for having a robust and useful public transportation system, as well as designing cities to support such a system. Won't happen in the US in my lifetime, but one can cream.
- actionablefiber 3y ago
  One can, but I think it is better to dream.
runarberg 3y ago
It stops by far most people from driving. The ones who are undeterred and keep on driving without a license are then fair game for the criminal justice system. Even if this minority gets away with continue driving without a license and wont get punished, you still save many lives by taking the vast majority of drunk drivers off the road. That alone is worth it.
bobbylarrybobby 3y ago
No, but it opens up the path to actual jail time, which would get them off the road for good.

Scoundreller 3y ago

I think in Europe you’re a lot less likely to get charged with a DUI. Rare to see random checkpoints, and generally rare to have non-automated “mobile” enforcement of traffic rules in Europe (in my US, Canadian, French, German and Croatian driving experience). Heck, in France most collisions don’t even involve police while they’re generally a mandatory report in US/Canada. If you get a DUI in Europe, you were probably a bad driver on top of being over the limit.

VK538FY 3y ago
My anecdotal experience is the exact opposite! I'm from some unpopular Canadian province and live in Switzerland. Lots of random controls in CH. I watch a lot of French television where they at least pretend to do the same in France, sort of the Gendarmes de Clermont-Ferrand. Anyway. I've also been a passenger in a car in Germany and the driver was controlled randomly. Now, in my wasted youth in a former capital of Canada, I wasn't once controlled when I should have been.
fsckboy 3y ago
collisions in the US only have a "mandatory" report because your insurance company requires it. And you have like three days to go into the police station and file one, and the police don't really pay attention to them. Many drivers think that the police will get involved in every car accident, and when two cars have a little bump, people will stop and get out to "preserve the evidence" for the investigation into "who is at fault" that they expect will soon commence, but when the cops get there (because of the traffic jam) they just confirm that nobody is injured and tell the people to get their cars out of the street, and exchange license and insurance information.
- Scoundreller 3y ago
  In Ontario Canada, we have "fault determination rules" - fault gets "Algorithmically" assigned, sometimes illogically. Anti-consumer, but saves the insureco a ton on lawyers and balances out for them. Often police make you go to them. Tow trucks aren't supposed to bring unreported collision vehicles anywhere but a police station. Cops here do like to take the interaction as an opportunity to issue a ticket, such as "improper lane change" or "careless driving" (which can be another "hit" on your next insurance renewal in addition to the "hit" from being assigned fault). source: got summoned into court because the physicist who crashed into me tried to fight their ticket. They lost. My work treats this like jury duty and pays me, but I didn't realize until months later they took it out of my vacation. Grrrr.