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In Moldova, DUI Gets You Three Months in a Morgue to Wash Dead Bodies

In 1897, a London cabby was fined 25 shillings and become the first documented case of a driver being arrested for driving while drunk. Ever since, authorities across the planet have tried to find ways to stop people from drinking and getting behind the wheel with diminished reactions and altered perception.
DUI opens new experiences for Moldovan drivers 1 photo
Photo: a-tv.md
For the most part, they have failed, and drivers are still at it. Despite heavy fines in some places, jail time in others and the threat of losing one’s license for a limited time all over the place, people still drink and drive.

Not even the involvement of carmakers and the rise of on-board breathalyzers have not been able to stop the scourge.

But perhaps a trip to the morgue, while still alive, just might.

Moldova, a country in Eastern Europe sang in movies like Hellboy and Red, decided last December that enough is enough when it comes to vodka-intoxicated drivers. Hence a very harsh bill came into effect, targeting specifically those who drink and drive.

According to the legislation, cited by local publication Publika, drivers caught behind the wheel while intoxicated instantly lose their right to drive, and have to wait for a court decision to see for how long the license is suspended.

Should the blood alcohol content be higher than 0,3 mg/l, the driver is banned from driving for life.

In some cases, drivers are allowed to ask for their license back, but only after they literally go through hell.

This month, Moldova debuted a morbid program for those who wish to get their licenses back: for three months, or 12 sessions, drivers will have to work in the country’s morgues and hospitals, watching autopsies and washing the dead bodies and the places where they are stored.

According to the source, there are currently 24 people enlisted in the program, and six of them have already started it.

To add insult to injury, this morgue reeducation program costs each driver the local equivalent of around $224.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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