I think, no question, it is murder if you kill someone with a vehicle. Vehicular manslaughter.

Being drunk or under the influence of an illegal substance is not a free get out a jail ticket when you kill someone. Same thing for people who are mentally insane.

The punishment for killing someone under the circumstances you suggest should always be execution. Our legal system, however, is so screwed up that most drunk drivers who kill often get out of jail after a number of years.

I'm very sorry about the people you knew who were killed by drunk drivers. It is obviously an increasing epidemic, and it needs to be stopped before it can get any worse.