The combination of driving an automobile after drinking a significant amount of alcohol has been recognized as a serious problem since the invention of the automobile in the s 1880. By 1910, American law had already codified drunk driving as a misdemeanor. Prohibitionists used the danger created by the mixing of alcohol and driving as a key point in their argument for the Eighteenth Amendment, as a result of which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol were were banned between 1920 and 1933. Apparently, no lessons were learned and several decades later, drunk driving is considered one of the most serious problems facing America today." (Kinkade). This should not be a problem in any country, as individuals should be able to control their drinking behavior. Approximately one-third of people arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in the United States are rearrested, indicating that corrective interventions for DUI offenders are not completely effective. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that "21 to 48 percent of drivers arrested or convicted of alcohol-impaired driving had prior alcohol-impaired driving offenses" (Lapham). When it comes to drunk driving, society tends to make psychiatric excuses for repeat offenders for alcohol abuse. They are sometimes referred to as stressed, unemployed, drug addicts, just to name a few. Should society make excuses for these repeat offenders or actively ensure that they do not become a danger to themselves or to innocent people on our roads? A lot of money is spent to rehabilitate these intoxicated people, but their lackadaisical and recurring actions prove that a mandatory prison sentence should be instituted to reduce the negative and deadly behavior they carry...... middle of paper......ugh, he won't be severely punished. The unsubstantiated threat of increased penalties is not sufficient to achieve long-term changes in habitual drunk driving behavior. Experts say the prospect of jail time or driver's license revocation can be effective in getting the attention of the habitual drunk driver who has never been arrested. “But unless treatment is available to capitalize on this attention, powerful habits will reemerge as the memory of punishment fades” (Fields). Thus, having a system of mandatory prison sentences will significantly help in adopting the stance of “ZERO TOLERANCE” for individuals. who believe they can do whatever they want and drive under the influence. Enough is enough and before more innocent lives are lost, before more property is destroyed through negligence, a stand must be taken to eradicate the disease called DUI..