George and Judith Gubernikoff lived a comfortable and
privileged life together. They had three sons, and George, a successful
cardiologist, made enough to support his family while Judith stayed home to
raise the kids. Everything changed one dreadful morning.
Judith had just begun helping her father with his business
at Fulton Fishmarket, which required the two of them to begin their daily
travel into Manhattan in the wee hours of the morning.
The day of the accident was not unlike any other normal day;
suddenly, life as the Gubernikoff family knew it changed forever. The vehicle
that Judith and her father were driving was hit by another vehicle with such
force, that it became airborne. After landing on top of a fence, Judith and her
father had to be cut out of the vehicle using the Jaws of Life. Judith was
pronounced dead at the scene. The force of the impact was so powerful that it
caused her heart to burst.
The 41-year-old party promoter, Neville Wells, who was
driving the other vehicle, emerged unscathed. Prior to the accident, Wells had
been at a bar in Manhattan drinking. His blood alcohol content at the time of
the accident was .22, more than two times the legal limit and the equivalent of
about 15 alcoholic drinks. To make matters worse, Neville Wells was a repeat
offender with at least two additional DWI charges on his record.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this man
needed to be taken off the road once and for all. What happened next is very
uncommon. Taking into account the fact that Wells had been speeding, running
stop lights, and been convicted on several additional DWIs, the Manhattan DA
decided to proceed with a more serious offense than vehicular manslaughter:
murder in the second degree. Wells was convicted and sentenced to 17 years to
life in prison.
Stories such as this are not rare. In fact, many of those
convicted of DWI are repeat offenders. Studies show that 70% of repeat
offenders will stop at nothing to get behind the wheel, even if their license
has been revoked. So how can the legal system combat this unfortunate reality?
New Mexico senator, and former drunk driver, Phil Griego
believes that the solution may not be as difficult as we think. After being
convicted, for the second time, of a DWI, Griego was told that, in order to
keep his license, he must have an “ignition interlock” installed in his car.
This device is a life saver, plain and simple. It works in the same way as a
breathalyzer, and you are required to blow into it every time you get into the
car. If the device detects alcohol in your system, then it will prevent the car
from even starting.
Traditionally used for extreme DWI and repeat offenders, Senator
Phil Griego believes that this device should be used more liberally. He claims
that “the interlock is not going to stop people from drinking; the interlock is
going to stop people from drinking and driving.” Experts say that in cases
where the ignition interlock is used, drunk driving has been reduced by up to
75%.
Could this device be the answer to preventing those
convicted of drunk driving from becoming repeat offenders? Should the law
require first time offenders to have ignition interlocks? What if all cars were
required to have ignition interlocks? There is no question that it would save
thousands of lives, but is it unrealistic to require all cars to be outfitted
with them?
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