▲ Image of drunk driving

On April 8, a man in his 60s who killed 9- year- old Miss B, who was walking down the street in a child protection zone (school zone) in Daejeon, was arrested on criminal charges of drunk driving. Male A had a blood alcohol level at the level of license revocation at the time of the incident, and in his first statement, he said he drank half a bottle, but reversed his statement the next day, saying he drank a bottle of soju. When the perpetrator changed his statement, the family of victim B disclosed the real name and face of victim B to the media, for the severe punishment of the perpetrator and in the hope that there would never be a victim child like Ms. B again.

Drunk driving refers to the act of driving a vehicle while intoxicated after consuming alcohol or drugs. Currently, drunk driving is measured by blood alcohol concentration, and the license suspension standard is 0.03% or more, with the license cancellation standard being 0.08% or more. However, if you are caught drinking and driving twice, your license will be revoked. Suspension of license is subject to 100 penalty points and prohibition of driving for 100 days. From 2018, the operation of personal mobility devices and bicycles under the influence, is also considered drunk driving and is punishable by law. In the case of regular/semi- automatic bicycles, a fine of 30,000 won for drinking and driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.03% or higher and a fine of 100,000 won for refusal to measure. Since bicycles do not require a license, there is no penalty or punishment. For personal mobility devices, a blood alcohol content of 0.03% or more is a fine of 100,000 won, and if it is less than 0.08%, the driver's license is suspended, and if it is 0.08% or more, the driver's license is revoked. A fine of 130,000 won will be imposed if the measurement is refused. In the case of both bicycles and personal mobility devices, if a person is injured, a prison sentence of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 20 million won is imposed.

The highest risk of drunk driving is the possibility of it leading to an accident resulting in a fatality. On April 11th, a post titled, 'It's nice to have a drinking accident,' was posted in a community. The writer who lost his father in a drunk driving accident said, “I am sorry for the victims, but I am desperate. I hope many people will be hurt by the news of the drinking accident. Only then do we expect that we can make the perpetrator who killed my father live in prison for even a month.” This article clearly showed that a traffic accident caused by drinking, resulted in not only physical and mental trauma to the victim, but also mental injuries and economic loss to the victim's family. However, drunk driving continues to rise. The Sejong Police Agency conducted a special crackdown on drunk driving during the month of March and caught 43 cases, a 43% increase from the same period last year. Due to the drunk driving that occurred in Daejeon, the National Police Agency will conduct a special crackdown on drunk driving and violation of child protection zone laws for seven weeks until May 31. As a result, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on April 14, the first day of the crackdown, 36 license suspensions, 13 license cancellations, and 6 measurement refusals were captured across the country.

The current penalty for drunk driving was revised in the wake of the case of Yoon Chang- ho, who lost his life in a traffic accident caused by drinking in 2018 and strengthened the punishment for existing drunk driving. However, despite these restrictions, drunk driving continues to increase. Drunk driving is a crime significantly similar to murder. If you have had a drink, you should call a proxy if you have a car; do not use personal transportation, alternatively you can use taxis or public transportation. As university students who have a lot of parties where alcohol is served, we hope that students at CWNU will also be aware of drunk driving.

By Kim Na-young, cub-reporter  skdud2986@naver.com

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