DRUNK DRIVING!

Recently, we had a horrific accident in Farmington Hills, a community in the Metro Detroit area.

A really drunk man (0.45% alcohol) in a very large SUV hit a mother taking her two sons to the dentist; she was making a left turn, he was going 75mph, he did not even hit his breaks. All were killed.

In Michigan, we do not seem to punish drunk driving in such a way that people would think twice before they got behind the wheel of a car after drinking.

I am no angel, in my younger years I did drive after drinking. I am thankful for never hurting any innocent people. Now with age and hopefully a little more wisdom, I feel our laws need to change.

In the recent case, the man should be charged with second degree murder not driving under the influence. He should spend most of the time left in his life behind bars - period.

More importantly, Michigan laws should be much stricter for early offenders in the hope of teaching them never to drink and drive.

First offence, take their license away for a few months. Have them pay a hefty fine and have them visit a counselor. Second offence, take their license away for a few years, huge fine, time behind bars, alcoholism treatment. Third offence, throw the book at them.

I have seen strict laws work in Europe where people take taxis to parties and take the designated driver policy VERY seriously. It can work here.

Janusz