Judge Cracks Down on Drunk Drivers | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

Blog Categories:

Holding true to the “everyone makes mistakes sometimes” policy, judges in the U.S. tend to be lenient with first-time drunk drivers. According to a Free Press, most judges sentence first-time offenders to a serve time for only a weekend or so with probation and community service. In Washington State, the law demands one day in jail or 15 days on an electronic tether. As a Seattle personal injury attorney who deals with the horrors of drunk driving every day, I believe this is too trivial of a punishment. Luckily, in Oakland County, Detroit, one bold judge may be an indication of a changing tide.

48^th District Judge Kimberly Small has been on the bench for 15 years and, unlike most of her fellows, isn’t afraid to jail such offenders for 14-30 days or more. Her critics, such as veteran defense attorney Cyril Hall, refuse to represent defendants in Small’s courtroom because of her steadfast values. “I don’t believe people have the right to roll the dice with other people’s lives,” Small told the Free Press. “Not when you get behind the wheel of a 2-ton vehicle.” She keeps a stack of newspaper clippings on the bench detailing fatal crashes caused by drunk drivers.

What Judge Small does endorse is planning how you will get home before you go out. There are those that don’t support her method, however, such as the Alcohol, Policy, and Safety Research Center in Maryland. According to their research, jail is more costly to taxpayers and less successful than other sanctions. Small, however, says that she is “not interested in a slap on the hand.” Working at a Bellevue car accident law firm, I strongly endorse trying new methods that could possibly lower drunk driving rates – whether that is jail time or ignition interlocking devices – to keep the roads safer.

Stay safe on the road; read our article How to Spot Drunk Drivers, to find out what you need to be on the lookout for when you are driving.