The fear of raising a child or children on one’s own, without the help of a spouse is a scary thought for many. A proposed “Bentleys Law‘’ in Missouri would force drunk drivers to pay child support if they caused a parental fatality.
Cecilia Williams, who is working on the law after a drunk driver killed her spouse and two of her children, says that the main aspect of the law is to push drunk drivers to be held financially responsible for what they so selfishly caused.
The law would make drunk drivers pay child support to a surviving spouse or the guardian who is raising the children of victims until the children turn 18.
If this law passes, the thought of a monthly child support payment could potentially force drivers to think twice before drinking and driving, thus possibly decreasing the number of drunk drivers on the road.
Depending on the state, DUI murder charges could result in up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. But is this charge and sentence enough to prevent the loss of innocent lives?
Nobody wants to spend years of their life locked up behind bars, but yet some people continue to commit crimes that are so easily preventable that ultimately put them in that exact position.
Bentley’s Law is the best option to hold drunk drivers accountable for their thoughtless actions. To some, this proposed law may sound a bit extreme or excessive, but it’s perfectly reasonable.
For a parent to single handedly raise a child on their own, not because they chose to, but because they had no other option, is difficult.
The surviving spouse loses not just the love of their life and the parent to their child, but another paycheck and a helping hand. Their entire life changes in a blink of an eye because of a human who had no consideration for the safety of others.
Throwing the offender in jail may give the mourning family peace of mind, but it won’t give them justice.
The drunk driver should be forced to help out financially on top of whatever charge they receive because at the end of the day, it’s only fair.
It won’t make up for what they did, but it will at least take away some of the unexpected burdens for what they caused.
