After years of using her money to keep from getting in trouble, Paris Hilton was given a 45 day jail sentence after being found guilty of violating a probation order and driving with a suspended license. In January, the 26-year-old heiress pleaded no contest to reckless driving in the case of her September 7 arrest in Hollywood, where she was charged with a DUI. Hilton’s subsequent sentence included 36 months probation, a $1,500 fine (basically milk money for her), and a mandatory alcohol education class. When Paris failed to attend the class and was pulled over two more times, she landed herself back in the courtroom.

Hilton’s sad argument was that she thought her license was suspended for a month and then she could resume driving for work-related purposes. Which, of course, makes total sense with the fact that Paris signed a document acknowledging that she was illegally driving on a suspended license when she was pulled over in January. Even sadder? When confronted with this evidence, Hilton’s excuse was that she rarely looks at things she signs. Not surprisingly, the judge shot down the defense and sentenced Paris to an uncompromisable 45 days in a county jail, to which she must report by June 5.

While Hilton’s attorney said he was “shocked” and her mother referred to the decision as “pathetic,” I personally am incredibly content with the judge’s ruling. And no, it’s not just because I think that Paris Hilton is a spoiled, immature, unintelligent, poor excuse of a role model. On the contrary, I think that we’d be wasting our time if we prosecuted everyone who falls into that category. No, I’m happy with the outcome of the trial because I think that Hilton’s carelessness in regards to her probation represents her lack of regret for her intial DUI arrest.

Driving under the influence of alcohol is an incredibly selfish thing to do because you’re endangering the lives of others as well as your own. In 2005, there were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities- 39 percent of the total traffic fatalities for the year. So many innocent people die each year due to drunk drivers, and it’s entirely unnecessary. If you’re doing to drink to the point of intoxication, you have choices; get a sober friend to drive you, call a cab, make arrangements to spend the night. Given, these actions are probably easier said than done when you’ve had a few too many and just want to go home. But is one night in your own bed really worth the possibility of killing a person? What about horribly maiming someone, such as happened to Jacqueline Saburido?

Maybe if Paris Hilton had asked herself these questions, she wouldn’t get behind the wheel under the influence. Or maybe if she asked herself these questions now, she’d regret her actions and wish that she’d cared more about breaking her probation on drunk driving charges. I believe that the judge on Ms. Hilton’s case saw that the young woman didn’t fully respect the direness of her bad decision, and so laid down the “harsh” sentence to teach her a valuable lesson. And I honestly hope that Paris learns from her mistake, so that there will be one less inebriated driver on the road and countless lives no longer at risk.