Drunk drivers may get special licenses

Drivers with a prior DWI conviction may be facing a new change on their driver’s license under a new bill proposed by State Representative Pete Gallego. The proposal would require placement of a symbol on an offender’s license to indicate their prior drunk driving conviction. Gallego says the symbol emphasizes to bartenders and officers alike that the person has had prior drinking problems in the past, so that they may act accordingly. Perhaps if your bartender knows you’ve made the poor decision to drink-and-drive in the past, he’ll know to stop serving you sooner.

Gallego claims his line of thought in making this change is no different than past and successful attempts to reduce underage drinking. You may have noticed the license of individuals under 21  displays vertically instead of horizontally, an indication to bartenders that removes the math from the situation and allows them to immediately recognize that the person is too young to be served.

John Bush of Texans for Accountable Government disagrees, stating that the proposed “scarlet letter law” is nothing short of unconstitutional. According to Bush, the law violates our right as citizens against cruel and unusual punishment. Bush claims that stigmatizing individuals for a crime after they have re-payed their debt to society  is nothing short of this type of constitutionally prohibited punishment.

What do you think?

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