Thread: Excuses, excuses for DWI'S

After reading the article below on DWI's, I am left speechless! I thought DWI's were prosecuted to the full extent of the law, not made out to be victims and viewed with pity because they JUST don't understand the laws or they did it because they miss their families. A lack of "social activites" is no excuse to go out and maim and kill! Note too that this article makes no mention whatsoever of the dead and injured citizens who had the misfortune of just happening by fate to be out on the road when they unfortunately came across the path of someone drunk and driving.

http://www.wral.com/news/4463931/detail.html

Hispanics Getting Large Percentage Of DWI Arrests

POSTED: 11:13 am EDT May 8, 2005

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nearly one of every five motorists arrested last year in North Carolina for driving while impaired was Hispanic, a statistic that troubles Hispanic leaders.

The number of DWI arrests involving Hispanics -- who make up 6 percent of the state's population -- have more than tripled in seven years and far exceed the percentage of Hispanics in the state.

Their leaders say too many Hispanic males are drinking and driving and often dying because they don't fully understand the law or the danger.

In 1997, the 3,698 Hispanics charged with DWI represented 5 percent of the more than 78,000 arrests in North Carolina. Last year, 12,039 Hispanics were charged with DWI, which is 19 percent of the nearly 62,000 arrests statewide.

"That's a tremendous shock," said Angeles Ortega.m.oore, executive director of the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte. "There's too much drinking and driving going on."

In South Carolina, more than 1,000 Hispanics were arrested for driving under the influence in both 2002 and 2003. That represented about 9 percent of the drunken driving arrests each of those years. Latinos make up about 3 percent of South Carolina's population.

Hispanic leaders say many who drink and drive are young, single men whose families are still in Latin America. Some feel isolated and turn to alcohol in part because of a lack of social activities.

Armando Ortiz-Rocha, consul of Mexico in Raleigh, personally sees the death toll that drinking and driving causes among the more than 500,000 Mexican immigrants in both Carolinas.

Each year for the last three years, Ortiz-Rocha said, the Mexican consulate has helped return the bodies of 300 Mexicans who have died in the Carolinas. Half of those deaths were the result of accidents involving alcohol use.

"Drinking and driving is a great concern for the Mexican government," Ortiz-Rocha said. "Too many Mexicans are losing their lives because of this combination of drinking and driving."

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press.

"That's a tremendous shock," said Angeles Ortega.m.oore, executive director of the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte. "There's too much drinking and driving going on."

Did he really say that?

Isn't NC Fritz Hollings state? Or was it SC?

Anyway, I think this is a direct rip-off of Fritz's great "theres too much consumin' goin' on out there" line from years ago.

"Drinking and driving is a great concern for the Mexican government," Ortiz-Rocha said. "Too many Mexicans are losing their lives because of this combination of drinking and driving."

Which translates into a loss of revenue for the country of Mexico.

Each year for the last three years, Ortiz-Rocha said, the Mexican consulate has helped return the bodies of 300 Mexicans who have died in the Carolinas. Half of those deaths were the result of accidents involving alcohol use.

It doesn't give a number of AMERICANS who died in these accidents caused by DWI or DUI. Odd, huh?

RR

"Wait a second?

You mean American cops aren't completely corrupt like our Mexican cops?

You mean I can't just give the cop $20 and he'll let me drive drunk?

What kind of country is this, where everyone has to obey the law?"

Asian illegal immigrants are even more isolated and have even less social contacts and most of them stay sober when they drive.