Drunk Driving as Premeditated Murder?

Driver Charged after Crash kills Mother, hurts child
Impaired Charges Follow Mother's Death

Last night's drunk driving crash in Scarborough, which claimed the life of a mother and has left her 3-year old son in critical condition, brings up an ongoing debate as to whether drunk driving fatalities should be considered first degree murder. A person willingly drinks and knows full well the consequences of their decision to drive afterwards, so can we call that premeditated? While the debate is complicated by factors such as whether the person's BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) is over the limit, no person can truthfully judge the limits of their own alcohol tolerance. Did this driver think he was capable of driving after whatever amount of alcohol he consumed? Unfortunately, many of us make that judgement call on our own and that decision has the potential to lead to tragic results such as this one. It's a gamble that nobody can truly win from. If you drink and drive and survive to tell about it, would that make you feel good? It shouldn't. You tell yourself and others for that matter that you don't care how your irresponsible actions affect other people. How would you feel facing the husband of the woman you just killed because you were drunk?

Jamie Chan
Summer Coordinater
Student Life NOW!