[johaugum]

> in the US you need to be able to drive to function as a member of society so if someone has a DUI pulling their license is almost as bad as giving that person house arrest for the rest of their life.

Another way of looking at this is, if driving is so important to participating in American society, then it is a privilege you should show the greatest respect for, and make sure you are driving safely and legally.

Driving recklessly and endangering not only your license to drive, but the lives of others, carries a high cost that you will have to pay when it goes wrong. That’s an individual choice. Of all the countries I’ve driven, the US drivers seem to have a particularly low regard for law and safety.

[Shawnj2]

That’s one other potential viewpoint and maybe it should be adopted more, but that’s not how it works in practice. If penalties for driving drunk and/or recklessly were higher, people would probably feel that way more.