Sequim Gazette Editorial and Letters to the Editor
Taking responsibility
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To a good many of us it seems inconceivable that, after the continuous hype about not drinking and driving, lives continue to be lost by those who don't heed the warnings.
Yet, on average, 36 people die each day in the United States and about 700 more are injured in motor vehicle accidents that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.
That includes Benjamin Merscher, a 25-year-old Sequim man who was killed in a head-on collision in October while driving on U.S. Highway 101.
The culprit? A drunken driver, a 28-year-old woman charged with vehicular homicide. This isn't the first time Engre Louise Brown has been behind the wheel while under the influence of either drugs or alcohol.
The question is: When or how will repeat offenders learn the degree of devastation their actions can have on a community? Is the lesson even learned after someone has died?
Research shows those arrested for drunken driving for the first time have been driving under the influence more than 87 times before the arrest. In addition, studies estimate that 50 to 75 percent of drunken drivers whose licenses are suspended continue to drive.
Pretty scary for us unsuspecting drivers. Drunken driving often has greater consequences for drivers who are not drinking. When drunken drivers crash, they usually crash into other cars.
When people make the decision to drink and drive, they put the lives of everyone else on the road at stake.
Nationally, the numbers are grim. In 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 17,000 people were killed in alcohol-impaired crashes. The good news is that number declined in 2007, with about 13,000 people killed.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission shows 1,408 people either killed or injured, some maimed for life, in King County in 2005, with slight improvements in 2006 and 2007.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, better known as MADD, lists Washington state as 37th in the country when it comes to drunken driving incidents and preventative measures. They report 195 deaths involving drunken drivers in Washington in 2007.
Since 1980, the year MADD was founded, alcohol-related traffic crashes have decreased by about 44 percent, from more than 30,000 per year to fewer than 17,000. Certainly, MADD, traffic safety task forces, such as the Clallam County Traffic Safety Task Force, and state and local police forces have contributed to the decrease in drunken driving crashes, by either educating the public or DUI emphasis patrols.
Washington state laws allow for ignition interlock breath alcohol devices in cars of individuals who have been convicted for DUI. The device, attached to the car's ignition system, requires the driver to blow into a tube before starting the car. If alcohol is detected, the car won't start.
While interlocks save lives, it is estimated that only one out of eight convicted drunken drivers each year has an interlock on their vehicle.
We cannot depend on law enforcement or groups such as MADD to end drunken driving crashes and deaths.
Responsibility ultimately lies with the driver. But when a driver's judgment is impaired due to alcohol or drug use, we cannot expect a responsible decision.
Clearly, we all need to look out for and protect one another.
If anything good can come of a death caused by a drunken driver, it is the tangible example of the insanity of drinking and driving and a stimulus to change our own habits. If we are truly honest with ourselves, many of us who find it inconceivable that folks still are drinking and driving probably can remember a time when we took the wheel while a little tipsy.
We must stop putting ourselves in positions where we drive after drinking. This means not driving to bars, not driving to parties, not driving anywhere for the explicit purpose of drinking.
We must look out for our friends as well. Yes, it can be uncomfortable to ask for, or take, someone's keys, but in the long run, lives may be saved.
If Engre Louise Brown had made the decision not to drive or had a sober friend offered her a ride or a place to stay that night, Benjamin Merscher very well might be alive today. That goes for all those who have died or been injured at the hands of a drunken driver.
Tonight is New Year's Eve, a traditional time to party. Please be responsible. As the old adage goes, the life you save may be your own.
From the entire staff at the Sequim Gazette, a very happy and peaceful new year to all of our readers and advertisers.
Yet, on average, 36 people die each day in the United States and about 700 more are injured in motor vehicle accidents that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.
That includes Benjamin Merscher, a 25-year-old Sequim man who was killed in a head-on collision in October while driving on U.S. Highway 101.
The culprit? A drunken driver, a 28-year-old woman charged with vehicular homicide. This isn't the first time Engre Louise Brown has been behind the wheel while under the influence of either drugs or alcohol.
The question is: When or how will repeat offenders learn the degree of devastation their actions can have on a community? Is the lesson even learned after someone has died?
Research shows those arrested for drunken driving for the first time have been driving under the influence more than 87 times before the arrest. In addition, studies estimate that 50 to 75 percent of drunken drivers whose licenses are suspended continue to drive.
Pretty scary for us unsuspecting drivers. Drunken driving often has greater consequences for drivers who are not drinking. When drunken drivers crash, they usually crash into other cars.
When people make the decision to drink and drive, they put the lives of everyone else on the road at stake.
Nationally, the numbers are grim. In 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 17,000 people were killed in alcohol-impaired crashes. The good news is that number declined in 2007, with about 13,000 people killed.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission shows 1,408 people either killed or injured, some maimed for life, in King County in 2005, with slight improvements in 2006 and 2007.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, better known as MADD, lists Washington state as 37th in the country when it comes to drunken driving incidents and preventative measures. They report 195 deaths involving drunken drivers in Washington in 2007.
Since 1980, the year MADD was founded, alcohol-related traffic crashes have decreased by about 44 percent, from more than 30,000 per year to fewer than 17,000. Certainly, MADD, traffic safety task forces, such as the Clallam County Traffic Safety Task Force, and state and local police forces have contributed to the decrease in drunken driving crashes, by either educating the public or DUI emphasis patrols.
Washington state laws allow for ignition interlock breath alcohol devices in cars of individuals who have been convicted for DUI. The device, attached to the car's ignition system, requires the driver to blow into a tube before starting the car. If alcohol is detected, the car won't start.
While interlocks save lives, it is estimated that only one out of eight convicted drunken drivers each year has an interlock on their vehicle.
We cannot depend on law enforcement or groups such as MADD to end drunken driving crashes and deaths.
Responsibility ultimately lies with the driver. But when a driver's judgment is impaired due to alcohol or drug use, we cannot expect a responsible decision.
Clearly, we all need to look out for and protect one another.
If anything good can come of a death caused by a drunken driver, it is the tangible example of the insanity of drinking and driving and a stimulus to change our own habits. If we are truly honest with ourselves, many of us who find it inconceivable that folks still are drinking and driving probably can remember a time when we took the wheel while a little tipsy.
We must stop putting ourselves in positions where we drive after drinking. This means not driving to bars, not driving to parties, not driving anywhere for the explicit purpose of drinking.
We must look out for our friends as well. Yes, it can be uncomfortable to ask for, or take, someone's keys, but in the long run, lives may be saved.
If Engre Louise Brown had made the decision not to drive or had a sober friend offered her a ride or a place to stay that night, Benjamin Merscher very well might be alive today. That goes for all those who have died or been injured at the hands of a drunken driver.
Tonight is New Year's Eve, a traditional time to party. Please be responsible. As the old adage goes, the life you save may be your own.
From the entire staff at the Sequim Gazette, a very happy and peaceful new year to all of our readers and advertisers.
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