No one wants to receive a driving under the influence (DUI) conviction, but sometimes the personal sense of disappointment a person feels after they’re convicted goes hand in hand with a feeling indignation at the penalties they receive. Depending on the state, possible jail time, fines, driver’s license suspensions, and ignition interlock programs are likely penalties, and it can be hard to swallow when you feel as though all you did was make a mistake by drinking and driving.
But like all things in life, accepting your DUI penalties and moving on is a matter of perspective, and as far as your driver’s license suspension and ignition interlock are concerned, instead of looking at them as though they’re penalties preventing you from doing what you want to do, look at them as a way to get your life back in order. If you need a little help keeping this perspective, take a look at recent Indiana news article quoting one judge in Vanderburgh County, Indiana.
He only presides over DUI cases in Indiana, but Judge Wayne Trockman had simple but serious words anyone convicted of DUI in the United States should hear and bear in mind – driving is a privilege. It’s not a right that you as a citizen are entitled to: it’s something you earn by receiving a driver’s license and something you get to keep if you stick to the rules of the road.
If you have been convicted of DUI and you want to keep your privilege to drive, your best option is an ignition interlock device. Once installed, you’ll be able to drive to work, to school, or drive your family normally. And as long as you don’t drink before driving, you’ll be able to continue using your ignition interlock and continue driving.
It may only be a few words, but Judge Trockman’s simple advice has the power to change attitudes of people who drink and drive. Once people accept that driving is a privilege, odds are they’ll be happy to have an ignition interlock device as a tool to get their lives back on track.