Drunk driving continues to be a problem, and nothing seems to be working. I believe alcohol is a drug that is more dangerous to innocent people than any other is. No drug dulls your senses more than alcohol does. No drug seems to let you make stupid decisions more than alcohol does. It is responsible for numerous fatalities in traffic accidents, not to mention domestic violence. Yet we have liquor stores everywhere we look. We have clubs and small bars emptying out drivers every night.
To be honest, there is no stopping it. Penalties are pretty severe right now for drunk driving, and it hasn’t stopped. People are driving, thinking they are fine, that they just have a little buzz. At one time, there was talk of seizing and selling a person’s car if he or she were caught drunk driving. A friend of mine, who was known for buzzed driving, said that would be a game changer, leading people to think, “I’m done. I’m not losing my car.” His car was a beautiful Corvette. Is that a viable law? Would it punish an entire family for one person’s stupidity?
I think what would help is an easily available way for a person to check their own alcohol level, something easily carried or available at any place that sells alcohol. People drinking may be surprised where their level is and get a ride. As long as alcohol is legal, we will never stop drunk driving entirely, unfortunately. But we have to try.
Stan Sipple
Felton
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
