Law not enough for DUI
I am deeply saddened to see that the number of people killed in drunk driving-related accidents has increased greatly in many places in Taiwan (“Kaohsiung tops national DUI deaths,” June 7, page 3).
Driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) is an important issue in Taiwan, as we have seen plenty of cases in which drunk drivers have killed people.
Although recently the Legislative Yuan stiffened the penalties for DUI, with drivers with a blood alcohol content of 0.25mg per liter now facing criminal charges, I think that this is not enough to stop drunk driving-related accidents.
Increasing the penalties may not prevent deaths, but may just lead to more penalties for drunk drivers.
The reason I say this is that many drunk people drive because they think that they will not be caught and most importantly, that they are not drunk enough to cause an accident. However, their reliance on luck greatly increases the chances of causing drunk driving-related accidents.
Moreover, many people do not even know what they are doing after drinking too much. They may kill someone without being aware of it due to the effects of alcohol.
Stricter laws may fail to deter people from driving after the drinkers become drunk. Therefore, I think people must know the seriousness of all the possible results of drinking alcohol and DUI and understand that they cannot be avoided simply by relying on chance.
The government should work harder to change the culture of making friends and socializing through drinking alcohol and educate children about the various negative effects of drinking alcohol and drunk driving.
Tseng Yi-ya
New Taipei City
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