Bill to toughen drunk driver sentences advances

A bill that increases the jail term from eight to 15 years for drivers who are intoxicated when causing the death of others has been approved, in the first debate by the and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

Panamanista deputy Luis Ernesto Carles, one of the proponents of the initiative, said that the bill – presented in September 2019 – contemplates that the penalties are not supplanted or replaced by the payment of fine days, bonds or community work allowing well-heeled to slip off the hook.

In the session, Carles said it is time to be energetic on this issue because the irresponsibility of many drivers has brought mourning and pain to many families, who are sometimes left unprotected.

Toribio Díaz, of the Victims of Road Violence movement  regretted that there are still people who have not become aware of the effects of driving under the influence of alcohol, which causes grief and sadness for many families. “No one can feel it until it happens (…) when one loses a family member, they also submit to a corrupt system where justice is selective,” he said.