Drunk driving as 1st-degree murder

By Park Moo-jong

Drink at bars here, there and everywhere and drive; then police will show you some new "bars."

Driving while intoxicated (DWI) or under the influence, and drinking and driving have become a target of public furor anew over the past week following two fatal accidents caused by the "killer disease.

In Korea, we dub the deadly behavior simply as "drinking and driving," compared to the diverse expressions in English, featuring the word, "intoxicated," among others, meaning "affected by alcohol or drugs especially to the point where physical and mental control is markedly diminished."

The term must describe and warn of the seriousness and danger of driving under the influence of alcohol.

In the deepening night of Aug. 27, an intoxicated drama producer, better known as the young husband of a top musical star, caused a rear-end accident that killed two young members of his team on board his Chrysler Dodge Charger and injured three, including himself.

The police are reportedly examining whether to refer him to the prosecution, after the drunk driver appealed to them to arrest him for the fatal consequences of his action, feeling remorse for what he did. His wife had to cancel all of her performances.

Another accident caused by a 33-year-old man who was driving his Genesis sedan after drinking on Aug. 2 crashed his car into the rear of a motorcycle in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, killing three Uzbek workers in their 30s on board the bike.

The accident crashed the "Korean dream" of the three young men from Uzbekistan who were sending most of what they earned in Korea to their families back home.

The two accidents may be typical examples showing the danger of DWI. But the problem is that it shows no sign of diminishing, despite diverse efforts to fight against the lethal behavior.

We remember many famous entertainers and athletes, both at home and abroad, who have disgraced themselves by driving drunk.

The case of Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Kang Jung-ho has become a bitter lesson for those who still dare to sit at the wheel after drinking. Kang, a promising Major Leaguer, ruined his carrier for two years after he was charged with driving while intoxicated and fleeing the scene of an accident after a car crash in Seoul in December 2016.

At present, of course, DWI is strongly monitored and enforced by the police as a social crime that threatens the lives of others as well as the drunk driver, themselves.

The risk of a driver under the influence of alcohol being killed in an accident is at least 11 times that of drivers who are sober, medical research has shown.

A drunk driver, if caught in a breathalyzer test, mostly at checkpoints, has their license suspended or revoked depending on their blood alcohol content or the frequency of their violations.

But the deadly habit of DWI dies hard despite society's efforts to stop it. Many still drive while they are drunk. Why?

It is too generous to allow them to have their licenses again after a certain period of time, as stipulated by law. And the criminal punishment is too light. Driving is a privilege, not a right.

Drunk drivers who cause fatalities face criminal punishment of up to 10 years in jail, compared to some U.S. states, such as North Carolina and Washington that prosecute drunk drivers on charges of first-degree murder with a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

For instance, a drunk driver who caused the death of a street cleaner was sentenced to one-and-a-half years in jail last month with a license suspension of three years, after he agreed with the bereaved families about the amount of compensation.

According to police statistics, about 24,000 traffic accidents took place due to drunk driving last year and 583 people lost their lives, meaning 1.6 persons died in 66 accidents on average every day.

Fortunately, the prosecution stressed earlier that the drunk drivers who cause fatalities must be punished for homicide. The police are also working out tougher measures to confiscate cars of habitual drunk drivers and canceling their licenses for good.

Unfortunately, however, some "important" bills to make penalties tougher are still pending at the National Assembly, proving lawmakers are still more concerned about their personal and partisan political interests than the safety of the people.

The court is also required to take a tougher stance against intoxicated drivers to warn against the deadly habit of drinking and taking the wheel.

Drunk driving is a national menace, a national tragedy and a national disgrace, as former U.S. President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) said when appointing the Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving in 1982, now called the National Commission Against Drunk Driving.

Here are some anonymous quotations about DWI: "Better to arrive sober and late than never" and "Sober driving today. Alive tomorrow."

Don't let friends, coworkers or whoever, drink and drive. Take their keys, call a relief driver, call a cab or do whatever is necessary.

Park Moo-jong (emjei29@gmail.com) is a standing adviser of The Korea Times. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English daily newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after working as a reporter since 1974.