How Many DUIs Does It Take?

What do you do with a man who has had 13 DUIs?  Last year Randy H. Bragwell was charged with a six-year jail sentence.  He is also required to participate in a rehabilitation program, pay the prosecution costs, and has had his driver’s license suspended for life.  Oh, one more thing…he can’t leave the state.

I’m sure that Bragwell has been served jail time and has had to attend rehabilitation programs before. What happened?  Was he just left alone after he was done with the programs?  Obviously they didn’t help, so enforcement should have taken a different route to help this man, if they really cared about helping him.  However, I do understand that people have to take responsibility for their own actions.

So, who is to blame in this situation?  Do we blame the court system for not giving stricter sentences or do we blame the person charged for not taking enough action to correct their life?

I know that we all make mistakes in life and eventually we learn our lesson.  However, after thirteen times of making the same mistake you would think that one would finally get it in their heads to make a change.  At the same time legislation needs to decide if it really wants to help these people change.

If you are in San Diego and have been charged for driving under the influence, contact a San Diego DUI lawyer who really cares about helping you.

Why Is Drinking and Driving Wrong?

It seems that our society has become blind to the fact that drinking and driving is dangerous.  If you’ve been hiding in a cave for the past fifty years, let me remind you…When you drive a car after you’ve been drinking, you put your own life at risk, you risk the lives of other drivers as well as the lives of the people who are riding with you.  I know that it seems like it is common sense. Don’t we all know by now that it isn’t right to drink and drive?  This is just a reminder for those who still don’t get it

I know that we’ve heard it over and over again. We hear the horror stories from those who survive a crash that involved a drunk driver.  Last year a good friend of mine was involved in a crash with a drunk driver.  Knowing someone who has experienced something like this only gives me more motivation to keep writing here and to keep letting  people know about the dangers of drunk driving.

However, I do understand that people make mistakes – even costly ones.  If you’ve been charged for a DUI in San Diego, not only is it important to have a DUI attorney to represent you, it is also to your benefit to get help if you cannot control your drinking so you do not make the same mistake twice.

Should Your License Be Suspended For Life For a Second DUI Offense?

What do you think is a fair consequence for a second DUI offense in California? Do you think their license should be suspended for life?  This person posted their thoughts at Palo Alton online:

“Any first offense for DUI should be an AUTOMATIC 5-year suspension of one’s license, with jail time for violating the suspension. All violaters should be required to wear remote monitoring devices for 5 years, so they can be tracked while being transporting, so that thier means of transport can be randomly checked.

After that, a second offense should mean LIFETIME suspension, with SEVERE jail time for violating the suspension…”

This subject has caused quite a stir over at the TownSquare Forum at Palo Alto Online.

I think that a lifetime suspension is pretty harsh on a second offense – unless, of course, you killed someone.  I propose that there be a ten year suspension after a second offense with a chance to renew once a person has proven that they have been clean and sober for a for five years or so.  Ten years is a long time and would definitely deter me from drunk driving.  For those who drink on a regular basis…well, their thoughts may be different.

What do you think?

If you’ve been accused of drinking and driving in San Diego, seek the help of an experienced DUI lawyer to help you with your case as soon as possible!  Don’t lose your driver’s license for life!