Band 7+: 4. If a person is found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while driving, they should be banned from driving for life, whether they were involved in an accident or not. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some argue that people caught driving after drinking or using drugs must not be allowed to drive again, even if they did not cause any accidents. I strongly disagree with the statement as most of the drivers under those conditions are the juvenile population, and also there are better options to correct such behavior.

The primary reason why banning people from driving for the rest of their lives as punishment does not make sense is because these illegal acts are committed by teenagers. That is to say, adolescents are well-recognized for being impulsive decision-makers, and they are not fully aware of the consequences of their acts. However, when they grow up, the vast majority realize the importance of respecting the laws, and receiving a forever-lasting penalty implies that they will not have the right to learn from their mistakes. For example, the Police Department of New Jersey reported that teenagers arrested for driving intoxicated had a recurrence rate of only 2% after being caught by the police, figures that show that immature attitudes can be corrected.

Another reason why this essay does not support the initiative is that there are many other ways to approach the problem. Punishments like fines implying considerable amounts of money or community service, and even days in prison are feasible ways to make the infractors understand that driving in illegal conditions leads to severe penalizations. For instance, fines for driving under the influence of illegal substances in the United Kingdom can be as high as 1,000 pounds, which has made it one of the societies that commit the least of these types of violations of the law.

In conclusion, being allowed to drive is a fundamental activity in contemporary society, and a severe penalty such as depriving people of their driving license forever is an exaggerated measure for those who did not provoke major harm to others. Furthermore, other equally effective ways to prevent individuals from repeating those events exist, that do not necessarily demand a lifelong punishment.