TexasCHLforum.com

We have a county commissioner fighting for his job, and to stay out of jail. He is a repeat offender and his most recent violation involved a vehicle accident in which I am told he attempted to flee. He was unable to flee as his vehicle could only go in circles after the damage it sustained. In 2004 (In the town where I work, same county) we had a terrible accident involving an intoxicated driver who never even saw the vehicle she hit until after the accident. Two adults in the other vehicle were unable to attend the funeral of their passengers. The passengers were their three children: Rachel (Age 10 years), Madelyn (Age 6 years), Yates (Age 1 month).

Did our current DWI laws prevent these accidents? The answer is no, but they have prevented other folks who wish to be law abiding citizens from causing other accidents. In addition to that they have helped punish the offenders in many cases and will help punish the offenders in current/future cases as well. An accident would have been prevented if our county commissioner had been punished to the full extent of the law in an earlier DWI case. If you choose to do something that can result in serious injury or death to someone else then you are liable for your actions. Operating a motor vehicle while impaired is foolish at best, and is often deadly. Does someone have the right to drive while intoxicated? Before anyone answers that question let me leave you with a quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.: "your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins."