Blog 5 "Drunk Driver Kills Disabled Teens and Teacher

Kaleesha Knox

September 26, 2012

“Tougher Penalties Sought for Drunk Driving in Russia after Accident”

A fatal accident in Russia claimed the precious lives of seven passengers on a bus, five of which were disabled teenage learners, and the other two included the students’ Art teacher and her husband. The passengers were simply returning from an art exhibit, in which three of the five teenagers received an award. Russian legislators are asking for tougher consequences for those that drive under the influence of alcohol, and seek justice for the lives lost. The driver was driving at a ferocious 125 mph, dragging the bus stop a long 20 yards. Alexander Maksimov, aged 30 is the driver responsible for the deaths, and has a previous history of drunk driving and speeding violations. Alexander told investigators that he “drank for two days” before getting behind the wheel and obviously shows no remorse for yet another fatal accident he has caused also telling reporters that he has the freedom to “do whatever he wants”.  Following the drunken driving accident, officers conducted a crackdown on drunk driving and had to hold 130 people that offended the law of driving under the influence. Although the legal drinking age in Russia is 18 years old, Russia’s no-tolerance policy for drunk driving has become less strict; drivers would use to suffer from getting their license revoked for a period of two years, but the consequence has become less enforced. Some reforms that have been discussed include raising fines to $3,200 and banning repeating violators on the road for life by seizing their vehicles.

Though Alexander Maksimov’s drinking behavior started out as a personal issue, it quickly turned into a social global issue because his reckless behavior and shameless attitude affects the Russian society negatively because it shows he has lost respect for others, himself, and the law. Drunk driving is a global problem in numerous countries and many government officials struggle to introduce a consequence to encourage others to not drive while impaired. The outcry for help with this issue remains relevant as many advocators such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving fight for justice of those that innocently lost their lives at the mercy of a person that decided not to obey the law. The fact that Alexander Maksimov, a repeating offender of the law can have his license revoked in 2010 continue to drive under the influence of alcohol and purposefully state that he does whatever he wants indicates the decreasing morale in humans within the global world today; people focus on things that bring them pleasure, but are never willing to take into account the lives of others, even after they committed such a horror deed as murder. Maksimov needs mental help and needs to be punished accordingly. The art teacher, her husband, and the disabled teenagers were simply enjoying their evening- returning home from an art exhibit in which three of them were academically honored and recognized- only to be struck and hauled twenty feet by the idiot named Alexander Maksimov that took their lives full of purpose and doesn’t even acknowledge that he was wrong.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/world/europe/russian-lawmakers-urge-tougher-drunken-driving-penalties.html?_r=0