We all know drinking and driving is a dangerous combination. Driving under the influence is a cardinal sin of the road. We’ve listened to the warnings, we’ve read the statistics, and we’ve watched the After-School specials. We know it’s a bad thing to do and yet, some of us do it anyway.
Unfortunately, those who drink and drive often go unpunished. They simply don’t get pulled over or noticed by law enforcement. Those who do get pulled over, who cause an accident, or who are involved in any kind of automobile incident, often get noticed - in handcuffs.
In the United States, the punishment a person receives for drinking and driving is contingent on several factors, including the state where the offense occurred. While all 50 states have two statutory offenses — driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol level of at least .08 — some states charge people for driving with a blood alcohol level of .05. Some states also make it illegal to have open containers in an automobile, where some do not. Most US states take into account the level of intoxication as well as the number of offenses. Based on these factors, some people do jail time, some people lose their license, and some people get off with a fine.
Other countries have different laws than the US. Some are more lenient and some are harsher. In Australia, the blood alcohol content is .05, and lower (.02) for new drivers and those with learner’s permits. The punishment for drinking and driving in Australia includes fines, suspension of license, imprisonment, and medical assessment before a driver’s license is reinstated.
In some countries, drinking and driving is punishable by death. A first time offense in El Salvador leads to execution by firing squad, while a second offense in Bulgaria also leads to execution.
In France, drinking and driving is punishable by the equivalent of a $1,000 fine, imprisonment for one year, and loss of license for three years. Finland and Sweden automatically sentence drunk drivers to one-year jail sentences including hard labor. In Norway, a drunk driver is jailed for three weeks with hard labor and loses their license for a year. If they do it again, they lose their license forever. In South Africa, drinking and driving results in a ten-year prison sentence or the equivalent of a $10,000 fine and, in some cases, both.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - jules
Don't know where you get this weird information...Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, and therefore does not have a death penalty for anything, let alone drink-driving.
2 - Sue
Indeed I second what Jules says. No EU member country will punish any crime with a death sentence. In Bulgaria the last execution was carried out in 1989.
3 - S.T.M
I don't believe there is an automatic one-year jail sentence for drink-driving in the UK. It's probably on the books as an option depending on the level of alcohol in the blood and the carnage caused if there's an accident, but it would normally be something reserved for recidivists. Hefty fines and loss of licence certainly are part of the program. Fines of up to 5000 pounds (about US$10,000) can be levied in some cases. An endorsement for drink driving remains noted on your licence for many years, too.
The laws in Australia are similar.
4 - S.T.M
Also, Australian police use random breathtesting units. They just go out to a particular spot, say at 2am on a Saturday morning, and flag cars over in a long line and go through and breath test the drivers. Anyone over the limit gets held in a police van and then carted off to a police station for a proper breath analysis. If you're over .05, it's regarded as a serious criminial offence. Over .08 is more serious. However, in most states they are not supposed to use the breath testing as an excuse to check the licences or criminal records of drivers. It's meant to be the breath test and that's it ... but if you don't look right, well ... you know how it is. Someone in a suit will drive away, while someone like me with long hair and three surfboards in the back will get questioned and have a torch shone around the car.
5 - Omar Fuentes
Are you serious? I am a Salvadorian living in El Salvador, and I can assure you that there is no death penalty here... much less for drunk driving. They recently made drunk driving a criminal offense, but that means a fine and maybe spending the night in jail... but no death penalty.
6 - dude
I think all this is true y because i learned it in drivers ed so i dont care what u all think mabey u should all go to el salvador and drink and drive see what they do to u. I mean since your all so sure u know everything.
7 - Dave
Holy people will really kill for drinking fines, maybe thats a bit over board if you don't think your self
8 - danny
i am cool that is my comment
9 - victor
i no these thing are true cause i also learned it so ya omar ur lying plus jennifer has been 2 a bunch o places around the world so she would now.....
10 - jordan
negro
11 - me
wuz up
12 - Mobb Deep
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14 - Ligia
I think that in Australia and America the penalties are alright,fair and Reasonable, but for the ones in like El Salvador the punishment is just savage, I mean like come on DEATH? thats abit over board dont you think?
15 - Ligia melanie vas
Some people think that if they drink its ok. Well its not. Why drink for? doesnt make you more cool if thats what you want everyone to think. It makes you look like a desperato if you stop and think about it. We have all these young people the age of 14-18 who just drink and smoke. Alright if you want to kill yourself then go ahead but come on. your body cant handle all the drinking. Infact it take 1 hour to get rid of the alcohol in your body and the liver has to get rid of 90% of the alcohol in your body. give Your body a break. The rules are there for a reason, to keep drunk drivers off the roads so people dont get hurt or even Killed!
16 - Alice
Yes i agree with you on that, young people always argue about how polise are always after them, well what do you expect? you guys are the ones who are drinking and killing young people on the roads. Think about it for a while... your the one who is going to end up killing your friends if you drink and drive. Stop making it seem as if the bad people are the polise when really its you. You guys really got to quite drinking. What go does it do? seriously, GROW UP!
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19 - Omar F.
This is old, but whatever...
So, Victor, since Jennifer has been to a lot of places, she knows better than someone who actually lives here? The death penalty does not exist in El Salvador since 1992. Besides, a few of my classmates were actually caught driving drunk on the weekend and were back to school on Monday. I dare anyone to prove this with a serious source (no "interesting facts" pages).
20 - anne
so this is all a lie??
21 - Stanley
Anne, it might *all* be a lie or there may be bits of truth in the original article. However, neither El Salvador nor Bulgaria use capital punishment for drunk driving. Neither do I believe that a Malayan (should be Malaysian) woman gets arrested for being married to a drunk driver. The original article is an example of sloppy investigation.
22 - warrick young
i think its all true i learned it in skooner
school i had it easy i was on my green P's
went high range and only got six months
and $800 fine.
23 - Kane Lupis
In Canada, if you're really drunk, they'll take your car away and sell it. No, you don't get to keep the money.
24 - afeather
dam me and wez were on this website idk why its really fucking wack bye im going back 2 myspace
25 - Mobb Deep
Dude, talk about something different, all of u