Should drunk drivers have to pay child support if they kill parents in a car crash?

[coachTanthony]

New Texas law says they will have too very soon.

[molonski2]

You'd be jailed in Australia culpable driving , driving causing death while under the influence. Last time I was in USA ( 1998 ) , I was really shocked that back then in many States you could drive at.1 when we were.05 , by the time you hit.1 , there is no way you are going to know what your reading would be...

It needs to be taken far more seriously , it sounds like they are going to , once you adjust to it , its not that bad , also your chances of being caught are tiny , compared to Australia ( certainly Victoria ) ..

Over here , I bring those same Aussie values , I dont want to cause or be involved in any accident.

[Rtylerturek]

I’m all for it. People might think twice about chancing a DUI if they knew it could set them up with wage garnishments for the next 15-20 years.

[MatthewA]

Driving under the influence is extremely dangerous , it could truly cost lives. Though some are able to drive relatively well a little tipsy it is never a good idea because your thoughts are not clear. It can be unfortunate to lose anyone in an accident, they should be held accountable for their actions. Though it may not be intentional, they did decide to willingly operate a vehicle knowing their actions could potentially lead them into a fatal or unfortunate circumstance. In some form , I believe they should be responsible for the lives they have altered drastically.

[Avicenna]

Well, there are at least a couple of problems with this. The drunk driver would be incentivized to ensure that they can't have any assets garnished while paying off any outstanding debts before they're convicted (remember, innocent until proven guilty) and maxxing out legal fees. Furthermore, how could child support for someone else's kids take priority over supporting the drunk driver's own kids, especially if they are already paying child support?

There is already a system in place to deal with this- tort law (lawsuits for wrongful death).

[Avicenna]

I think the state should make child support payments if tort law cannot provide a remedy or enough of one.

[RingOfFire]

Makes sense. It is logical under the concept of civil damages. Whether it is called "child support" or simply a large monetary award really doesn't matter much. It's all the same thing.

When I was in my early 20s, drunk driving wasn't even a thing. I somehow made it from one side of Tucson Arizona where I was living at the time all the way to the bars on the other side and from bar to bar completely drunk out of my skull and never had a problem. Nobody ever even thought about not driving just because they were drunk. I think some people are better drivers when they are drunk than some other drivers are when they are sober. I've seen lots of sober drivers who shouldn't be on the road. I think they should have to pay child support too if they kill somebody. Shouldn't just apply to drunk drivers.

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

They should go to prison… And maybe once they serve their time, then pay either restitution or child support

[coachTanthony]

Going to prison is a gimme I hope!

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

Eh, really? I see more and more people that as k SHOULD be in prison that aren’t… The criminals system in the US is soooo flawed..

[goaded]

Remember "affluenza"?

[TonyMetal___86]

@Brainsbeforebeauty the big problem is that no matter what punishment is or no matter how much they pay, the parents won't be back from the dead and that's the big issue, there must be a harsh punishment to make others scared from even laying a bottle on their lips before driving, the worst thing in life is death, how come if the person was killed, no money and no nothing can bring him/her back, that's why there must be some severe laws and punishments for drunk drivers and anyone who causes danger on other people's lives...

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

@TonyMetal___86 I agree but keeping them in prison keeps them off the roads… And if there were stricter laws that were enforced, maybe that would deter others from being stupid and driving drunk…trust me, this is a sore subject with me… I lost two friends right at the end of the pandemic to a drunk driver and their grown daughter found out she was pregnant not long after, so her child lost both his maternal grandparents from the same ducking loser drunk driver… who is given the chance would probably do it again 🤬

[purplepoppy]

I'm not sure a child would want that connection with the person who killed their parents. Besides once you add jail time and the lack of employment issues afterwards I suspect they wouldn't pay a great deal.
Better to leave them in the desert with a bottle of whisky.

[D_Bone_Steak]

You know what... that actually seems fair as fuck. I agree 100% with that idea.

I mean think about it... jail time? How do they help at all by being supported to just live in a cell? Working and paying like a divorced Dad though... it's something and the guy can sort of keep his life going on without getting massive amounts of tattoos.

[Anpu23]

It makes sense from a restitution point of view, the problem is that once it's case law it's easy to expand it to other cases, should someone who accidentally kills someone (involuntary man slaughter) have to support the children?

[coachTanthony]

Good point

[tiajoka]

Is he drunk driving? Lol

[Anpu23]

@tiajoka No, the problem with laws is that once they are passed they can be used to create additional laws and though the first law makes sense soon it's used to violate rights and the justification is the first law. A good example is DNA, at first DNA was only collected from Murderers and rapists, then all criminals, then anyone accused of a crime, and soon it may be necessary to say get a gun permit, or a passport. Slippery slopes.

[OlderAndWiser]

How are they going to pay child support when they are in prison for DUI manslaughter or vehicular homicide?

[coachTanthony]

Through their savings or 401k or anything they have can be garnished and sold. If they don't have a pot to piss in then probably not going to happen.

[OlderAndWiser]

And most people in prison won’t have a pot to piss in!

[coachTanthony]

There are many well to do people in prison. Those are usually the ones who are dumb enough also to get behind a wheel while drunk. At least Texas is hoping so.

[BlackBeauty90]

Most definitely

As for the people saying how can these people pay for it while in prison you work jobs in prisons nowadays. And besides, if no other option, can take their house and property as collateral

[Alli39]

Honestly? Yeah, that sounds like a pretty legit idea. I'm not sure about how the actual system works so I can't speak on its practicality, but honestly I hope it works.

[Anonymous]

No only because child support is a flawed system that rarely benefits the child. For one there is no measure that prevents the money to be spent on anything other than the child.

That I know of at least.

Also you are not allowed to pay the caretaker directly, it must be done through the government. So even though the drunk driver pays the money, the child support is actually taken from taxpayers.

It sounds like a good idea on paper but everyone including the drunk driver will be the ones paying out of pocket for it in practice.

[DermalPunch]

No, they should have to compensate for the blood of the parents.

[Surely]

They would need to be on work release to earn money to pay for anything. Plus pay for their keep while in jail.
Yes! They need to be locked up and hopefully learn not to do it again!

[John_Doesnt]

They will just go to jail and people in jail don't have any money. Also, Texas is stupid.

[clampfan101]

We’ve got to try something to try to get people to stop.

[Sasha0426]

Not only that, but they should also pay for anyone they have hurt or killed.

[jahaims]

If you harm anyone drunk driving you should become their families servant.

[LeeannaDD]

I like it in principle but how are you going to pay child support from prison making 30 cents and hour

[Drumlin2001]

No. But they should be imprisoned for causing death whilst driving under the influence (which ought to be a meaningful legnth of time, 10 years at least) and sued in civil court for compensation.

[Reorx]

They should be hung or shot by a firing squad publicly, children excused.